In The Eye Of The Beholder
by Falcon and HM Writer
Summary: FINAL chapter is up. Please leave a final review. We hope you enjoyed it.
1. Chapter 1

Margaret Houlihan stood poised in the middle of the room, her hands resting in question on her hips. Sometimes she didn't know why she even bothered. Her eyes shifted from one outfit to the next trying to decide what to do. The yellow one was her favorite, but would her father approve of it? It's not like it was too revealing; it was a simple summer dress. Why did it matter so much what he thought anyway? She gave a sigh and picked the more conservative one and tossed it on the bed to be packed.  
  
Margaret walked over to her dresser and started shifting through her lingerie drawer. There were so many things that she didn't understand, things that she probably never would for that matter. Maybe they would have been better off going someplace else, someplace far away where no one would ever find them. Margaret shook her head; she knew that was never going to be an option. She hadn't seen her father in over a year; she hadn't seen her family in over four.  
  
'Damn these reunions,' she thought to herself. She rummaged through the rest of the things in her closet and picked out some of the things she thought her father would think appropriate to wear. Even at 29 years old she was still worried about what her father thought. The older she got the more it bothered her and the more she wanted to change, but after living and thinking that way for so many years she didn't know how to change. She wanted to look forward to going, but she was more nervous than she had ever been about seeing her family. It wasn't just her parents and her sister; it was her father's entire family. A weekend full of Houlihans, and although she was one herself, they still scared her.  
  
The Margaret that they had once known was gone forever. She'd gone to Korea as one of them, up tight and overbearing with a wall high enough to keep out any army. She'd gone to war with a clear purpose and set standards, and yet when she came home the only thing that mattered was that she was in love. How were they going to respond when they realized her wall had crumbled? What were they going to say when they discovered she was no longer one of them? What were they going to say about the one 'big' difference in her life? Margaret shuddered at the thought. She wasn't going away for a relaxing vacation; she was going away for a week of hell.  
  
"Okay," she said to herself. "I have to do this. Go and get it over with and then I can come back home and be happy again."  
  
Another voice shook her out of her thoughts. "Who you talking to?"  
  
She turned around and looked at the love of her life. "No one," she smiled. "Did you pack yet?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"When?"  
  
"This morning when you were in the shower."  
  
She couldn't begin to imagine what he jammed into his suitcase. "Let me see."  
  
"You don't trust me?" He picked up a piece of clothing tossed on the bed. "What's this?"  
  
"A dress."  
  
"Margaret, it looks like it belongs on a sixty year old."  
  
"I know," she grabbed the garment out of his hands.   
  
"Is it yours?" She nodded. "That doesn't look like you. I thought you'd be bringing your favorite dress or shorts. You always wear shorts."  
  
"Not this weekend."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Because," was her only answer. She didn't want to tell him why because he wouldn't understand; he didn't know her family.  
  
He shook his head and looked at the garment in his hands. The fabric was coarse and unrefined; it scratched the tips of his fingers as he grazed it. It was a terrible dress in all respects, it was long enough to cover every inch of skin on her body and then some. "You can't be serious about this dress." He tossed it across the room. That dress didn't even call for any cleavage, let alone her neck. "You have plenty of other very sexy dresses, just pick one of those."  
  
Margaret frowned as she marched across the room and picked it up off the floor. Sexy was what she was purposely avoiding. "What all did you pack?" She didn't want to discuss it with him; he wouldn't even try to understand. Besides, it was his appearance that she was concerned with the most. Her family was going to meet her fiancé for the first time and he had look presentable.  
  
"Clothes." Came his simplistic reply. He lay down on the bed and watched as she finished packing.  
  
"Like what?" She placed her lingerie beside him as she shifted things around inside her suitcase.  
  
Hawkeye picked up a pair of her nylons and examined them. "Nylons?" He looked up at her. "It's going to be in the 90s."  
  
Margaret snatched them from his grasp. She didn't respond to his question, instead she shoved them into a pocket. "I want to see." She told him in reference to his packing, her complexion looking rather serious.  
  
"What's there to see? They're just clothes." He shrugged his shoulders. Margaret knew he had probably just thrown in a couple pairs of shorts and T- shirts. Since he wasn't working at the moment, he really didn't care what he wore.  
  
"What did you pack?" She asked him again.  
  
"I don't know, socks, shirts, pants, underwear..." He sifted through her lingerie as she looked for his suitcase. If he wouldn't tell her, then she'd just have to look for herself. "Hey, you're bringing the black lacy ones aren't you?" Hawkeye called to her. He was appalled to find they weren't among the others. Besides the tiger skin they were his favorites.   
  
She ignored the question and lifted his suitcase up to sit on the bed. "I don't want you to look like a bum." She opened it up and pulled out the first thing that she saw. A pair of old holey jeans. "You were going to wear those there?!"  
  
"I am going to wear them," he corrected. "What's wrong with them?"  
  
"Hawkeye, please don't argue with me. I just want you to look good. This is the first time you'll be meeting my family."  
  
"Why are you so concerned about me? You don't seem to care what you're going to look like."  
  
She rolled her eyes and threw all of his clothes onto the bed. "I'm repacking your things."  
  
"Fine, then I'm repacking yours." He got up and started with her lingerie drawer first. "We'll take these, and these," he tossed his two favorite things onto the bed. "And I think these will be nice too." Margaret walked over there and grabbed them out of his hands tossing them back in the drawer. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Hawkeye, please stop."  
  
"Margaret, look at what you're doing," he moved his hand in a sweeping motion so she would look around the room. "Half of the things you pack you never wear! You hate them!"  
  
She knew he was right, and she hated that he noticed what she was trying to do. "Just leave me alone and let me do this."  
  
"No. I will not leave you alone. You need to stop trying to please your father and be yourself. What's wrong with wearing what you want to? There's not slutty or sleazy about the things you wear. Sure, they make you look sexy, but that's what they're supposed to do." He placed his hands on her upper arms. "Honey, be yourself."  
  
She sighed and moved in to hug him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her comfortingly against his strong chest. "I don't want them to think of me like a."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"I don't know. I just."  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, once they meet me they're gonna hate you anyway."  
  
She slapped his back. "Don't say that."  
  
"What until they find out we're living together."  
  
She pulled back and looked up at him. "Don't you say a word about that to anyone!"  
  
Hawkeye walked back over to the bed. There were clothes scattered everywhere. "Margaret, you're twenty nine years old. Is anyone expecting you to be a virgin? Who gives a damn if we live together. I mean even if we weren't, that wouldn't have stopped us from being together."  
  
Margaret placed her hands on her hips, he wasn't listening. "If you say anything to anyone!" She threatened him with a pointed finger.  
  
"Margaret!" He picked up his jeans off the bed and folded them. "Do they honestly think that if we're not living together then we're not sleeping together? Is it the sex that bothers them?"  
  
"My parents won't like it! My aunts and uncles won't like it! My cousins won't like it! If they find out that we're living together, let alone sleeping together, then.then I'm going to get it!"  
  
"We're getting married!"  
  
"That's even worse! If my parents found out that we were having sexual relations before we got married." She was working herself into a panic. Her father would go ballistic if he found out. "To them, people do not live together before they get married."  
  
Hawkeye started throwing clothes into his suitcase again, all including the ones she hated. "I don't give a damn what they think! I love you! I want to be with you! And no one is going to do anything about that!"  
  
"Hawkeye, you don't understand!"  
  
"Frankly," he stated. "I don't give a damn, and neither should you." He grabbed some of the clothes she had discarded into another pile that she wasn't going to bring and brought them back to the bed. "And if you don't have the balls to pack these nice things then I will." He started to ball things up and stuff them into the suitcase.  
  
She didn't say anything and just stood there looking at him. He was right; there was no doubt about there. She was happy and in love and there wasn't any reason her physical being shouldn't reflect that. "You're right," she gave in.  
  
He looked up at her with surprise written all over his face. She never gave in and it was a rare moment when she said that he was right. If he could have he would have recorded those words because he didn't know when he'd ever hear her utter them again. "I'm right?"  
  
"Yes. I should be able to be myself."  
  
"Good, and you'll tell them that we live together?"  
  
"Hell no! That stays between me and you."  
  
He smiled at her. At least she was getting somewhere. Hawkeye's father didn't like that they were living together, but he would never do anything to stop them or make them feel guilty about it. But the Houlihans were different. "I'll take what I can get."  
  
"So then we're agreed?" She walked over to him and put her arms around his waist.  
  
"It's none of their business." Hawkeye kissed the side of her head. "We have no reason to tell them what we do." He stated. Margaret smiled against his chest, he really was quite agreeable when she gave him a little leeway. "But." He said.  
  
"But?" She pulled back so she could look at him.  
  
Hawkeye turned around and picked that horrid dress out of her suitcase and threw it across the room. "And you have to bring these." He held up the pieces of undergarments.  
  
A smile spread across her face; somehow she knew that's what he was going to say. Margaret nodded her head. "Okay. But only because I love you." She agreed. Hawkeye smiled happily and flung them on the bed.  
  
"And." He continued on.  
  
"What else can you possibly." Suddenly she knew. "No! You are not taking those pants!"  
  
"Oh yes I am," he smiled proudly.  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Margaret picked them up and held them behind her back. "You cannot take these. They're old and ugly."  
  
"Good, they'll match with the way you're family thinks."  
  
She gasped, but then started to laugh. "Please don't wear them. Let me dress you. I'll make it up to you."  
  
He liked the sound of that. "With whatever I want?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
That was all it took and he tossed the pants into the hamper. "Okay." Then he walked over to her and placed his hands on her hips. "I have an idea in mind."  
  
"I'm sure you do," she moved out of his grasp. "I need to finish this."  
  
"I don't trust you. I want you to look as beautiful as you are on the inside. No more frumpy dresses and nylons. Show off those sexy legs."  
  
"Honey, it's my family. They won't be looking at my legs."  
  
"Show them off for me. Show them how happy you and I are."  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes. "Showing my legs will not prove to them that we are in love." She pulled out another one of her conservative dresses and tossed it to the side.  
  
"Sure it will. The old Margaret Houlihan never wore anything like this." He held up a much more revealing dress.  
  
"No." She smiled and started to sort through his clothes. "My family doesn't need to see what that dress reveals."  
  
"You're right." He grinned to himself as he held it up to look at. "You didn't wear this dress for very long the one time you did."  
  
They both smiled when he said that. They'd had ended up having a very good time that night. "Your getting aroused will not help our cause." She told him with a grin.  
  
Hawkeye laughed, he could just see Alvin Houlihan's face. "Over fifty Houlihans and only one Pierce." He sat down on the bed. "I'm a dead man either way."  
  
She picked up his hand and placed a kiss on his upturned palm. "Correction.two Pierces." Hawkeye looked at her when she said that. "I don't need to pay fifty dollars for a piece of paper to tell me I belong with you."  
  
"I love you too." He leaned forward and kissed her softly.  
  
She kissed him back and then pulled away. "We really need to pack."  
  
"That isn't as fun."  
  
"Sorry. Life isn't always about fun."  
  
"It should be. I can't remember the last time I was this happy and all I do is have fun."  
  
"That's because you don't work right now. You get to do whatever you want."  
  
"One day we'll switch and you can try it out." He stretched out across the empty side of the bed and watched her. He noticed she had started to put away some of the more conservative things, but he didn't say anything. She still wasn't packing anything too revealing, but at least the clothes she was packing now were her taste and not her father's.  
  
"I'd love to. Maybe after I'm through with the army."  
  
"Yeah. Have you told your family about that yet?"  
  
"No, and I don't plan to tell them while we're there." She held up a pair of khaki pants. "What do you think of these?"  
  
"They're okay. Not as good as my jeans, but." He trailed off smiling at her warning look.  
  
She held up a blue collared polo shirt. "This looks good on you."  
  
"Are you sure you don't want me in a tux with wing tipped shoes?"  
  
"Ha ha. You're soooo funny," she said sarcastically.  
  
"I think so." He smiled. She tried to put in another ugly dress into the suitcase. "Oh, no you don't. Less than a week ago you said you hated this dress and it was in the bag to give away." He grabbed it and tossed it into the corner of the room. "Maybe I should pack your bag."  
  
"When hell freezes over! You wouldn't pack anything except lingerie."  
  
"What's wrong with that?"  
  
"Nothing if we were going on our honeymoon, but we're going to meet my family."  
  
Hawkeye walked over to her dresser and pulled out a few more pieces of lingerie. "We're not sleeping with your parents." Was his remark as he placed them on the bed.  
  
"I'm afraid that's all the time we're going to have for that sort of thing, if any." She told him seriously.  
  
Hawkeye leaned in closer to her. "I'll make time." He told her before standing up.  
  
She shook her head and leaned back. "How? You're lucky that we're not getting separate rooms. We can't let anyone know that we're sleeping together." That was going to be tricky; hopefully they ended up on separate floors from everyone else.  
  
Hawkeye dismissed what she said with a wave of his hand. "Look who you're talking to. I'll get you alone sooner or later."  
  
"I forgot." She rolled her eyes. Margaret stood up. "Come on lover boy; let's go get something to eat." She took his hand and led him out into the small living room and into the kitchen.  
  
"We don't have anything here."  
  
"We'll find something," she said. She opened the cabinet doors and started to look. "We have to eat what we have here because we won't be home for a few days."  
  
He took a seat the small kitchen table. "Yeah, yeah. Why don't I take you out?"  
  
"No. We have a lot to do. I have to clean up the bedroom now that it's a complete mess, get together all my makeup and such, and then clean the apartment."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because when we come home I want things to be nice and neat so I can just lie in bed if I want. I'm going to need some time to relax after we get back from this little trip."  
  
"Why are we even going?"  
  
"We have to. Everyone will be there."  
  
"An even better reason to stay home. I just don't get you at all."  
  
"Why?" She moved over to the refrigerator and started to look.  
  
"You obviously don't want to go."  
  
"I have to go. It's a family reunion and I haven't seen my father in a year. No matter what anyone may think of him or how he makes me feel sometimes, I really do love him and I miss him. And my sister will be there with the baby and I want to see them again. It's my only niece."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "I don't understand you at all."  
  
She pulled out some lunch meat and threw it on the table. "This is dinner."  
  
"Glad to know I'm marrying such a good cook." She shot him one of her looks. "I mean, you're such a wonderful lover." He tried to cover over.  
  
She eyed him for a moment. "Nice cover." She turned to pull out the bread. Hawkeye moved out of his chair and over to where she was standing. His hands moved to her stomach as he began planting kisses on the back of her neck.  
  
"Ohhh." She reached around and touched his hair. "That's another thing." His hands moved up to her breasts.  
  
"Hmm."  
  
"No more of 'this' when we get there." She told him as his hands continued to move around. "You're going to have to keep your hands to yourself."  
  
Hawkeye sighed and clung to her a little more. "No." His mouth moved to the other side of her neck.  
  
"We can't let them see this." She told him. "Do you know what my father would say if he saw this?" She didn't wait for his answer. "This would be just as bad as having sex in the middle of the kitchen."  
  
"Bad? Mmmm," he kissed her neck. "Good."  
  
"No," she struggled to say. "Bad." He turned her around in his arms and started to kiss her lips moving his hands up the back of her shirt and unhooking her bra slyly. Her hands moved to the back of his head, fingers threaded through his black hair. She couldn't help but think he needed a haircut. "Mmmm.honey." She tried to move her lips away from his so she could talk.  
  
"Huh?" He moved back to her neck sneaking his hands to the front of her shorts and undoing the button.  
  
"Ah," she moaned. "We.um..shouldn't."  
  
"Yes," he whispered. His hands worked to pull down her shorts as his lips worked to quiet any protest she may have tried. It didn't take long and she stopped protesting and gave in wanting him as much as he wanted her.  
  
Hawkeye's lips went back to her mouth. He kept her busy with his tongue while he slyly started to pulled her to her knees. Hawkeye figured she wouldn't be as cooperative the next night, she'd be a bundle of nerves and overly stressed out. At least now he didn't have to worry about someone disrupting them. "Hawkeye. She whispered as his mouth moved to her neck. He fell back, pulling her onto his chest.  
  
"Mmm." His hands moved to pull her shirt off.  
  
Margaret was having a difficult time thinking, let alone talking. She knew they should be packing and getting ready, they had to be up early the next morning, but this seemed to be a little more important. For the last few months it had just been about them and being together, now they were going off to a place where they wouldn't be acknowledged.  
  
Margaret pulled his shirt off shirt in dire need to feel his skin against hers. Hawkeye was all about her, all about pleasing her and being with her. She loved his attention and his strength, the way he loved her and never tired of showing it. Margaret considered herself just about the luckiest woman in the world.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Hawkeye slept most of the way on the plane. Margaret would have liked to, but she couldn't. She was nervous and anxious about seeing her family. Sure there were a few people that she was looking forward to seeing, but the people she was dreading seeing again outnumbered them. She knew they were going to judge her and criticize her for her choices, and she wasn't fully ready for that. She didn't know how Hawkeye was going to handle that either. She feared that he was going to fly off the handle at least once and tell them all what he thought of them.  
  
Margaret's mother and sister were supposed to pick them up at the airport when the plane landed. She didn't see them right away so she and Hawkeye went to gather the luggage. She didn't say much and only pointed out their suitcases as they came down the baggage terminal so Hawkeye would grab them. They waited outside the airport for her mother and sister to get there. Hawkeye sat down the suitcases and used one for a seat.  
  
"Why are they late?" Margaret asked pacing the sidewalk.  
  
"Maybe they ran into traffic."  
  
"No."  
  
"Maybe it's something with your niece."  
  
"Don't say that."  
  
"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that maybe she had a little last minute accident and your sister was held up."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
Hawkeye was sick of seeing her pace around nervously and stood up grabbing her hand to stop her. "Calm down."  
  
"I can't." She looked into his eyes.  
  
He gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "Everything will be fine. Don't worry; I'll protect you."  
  
She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his torso allowing him to hold her. "It won't be bad meeting my mother and sister. It's the rest of them that I'm worried about."  
  
He rubbed her back and held her there like that. "You know no one intimidates me. Except maybe you."  
  
She laughed against his chest. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Margaret closed her eyes and let him take away some of the stress she was feeling for a few minutes. It was the sound of a familiar voice that made her let go of him. "Ahhh.isn't that cute."  
  
Margaret looked behind her and saw her sister standing there. She smiled and gave her a hug. "You're looking a lot better than the last time I saw you."  
  
"I weigh twenty five pounds less." Katie looked at her sister and then over at the handsome man that she had been hugging. "You must be Hawkeye."  
  
"The one and only," he grinned. He had talked to Katie on the phone a few times, but this was the first time they were meeting each other. He opened his arms and gave her a hug. "Nice to finally put a face to that voice."  
  
Margaret gave her mother a nice big hug. "Hi Mom," she said evenly.  
  
"Hi honey."  
  
"This is Hawkeye."  
  
"Hello," the older woman said looking straight into his eyes. "Nice to meet you." She stuck her hand out before Hawkeye had a chance to hug her.  
  
"You too Mrs. Houlihan. Your daughter looks a lot like you."  
  
"Yes, she does. Are you two ready to go?"  
  
"Yes," Margaret answered. She nodded to Hawkeye to put the luggage in the trunk and then they got into the car.  
  
They hadn't been on the ground more thirty minutes when Hawkeye started to feel rather uncomfortable. The way Margaret's mother had eyed him, not to mention the cool tone of her voice, had told him that he wasn't welcome. Margaret had always told him that she and her mother had never gotten along very well; he was now beginning to understand why.  
  
"What ever did you do to your hair?" Hawkeye heard from the backseat. He had been squished in back along with the baby and her sister, Margaret was sitting up front beside her mother.  
  
"What do you mean?" Margaret asked as she lightly fingered her hair. "I didn't do anything to it." Why couldn't they just have a normal conversation?  
  
"Well it looks different." Her mother's voice was critical and sharp. Then as if she'd figured it out she said. "It's too blonde."  
  
Margaret and her sister exchanged a look. "Mother." This time it was her sister who was talking. "It does not. It looks the exact same way it did last time."  
  
Hawkeye sat in silence as he watched the scene play out before him with a sort of awe. Their mother was relentless and yet perfectly calm. In some sort of odd way, she seemed to be gaining something from their argument. It was then that he seriously started to consider just eloping and avoiding any sort of social contact with them at all. Of course if Margaret wanted, Hawkeye would let her bring her sister.  
  
Between the loud conversation and limited room, Hawkeye was starting to feel a pang in his chest. His claustrophobia had arisen somewhat on the plane and was beginning to stir again in that confined space. He leaned back and gripped the base of his seatbelt the best he could. Panicking and drawing attention to himself was the last thing he wanted to do. He took a deep breath and tried to look as calm as possible. Hopefully they would reach their destination soon.  
  
Up front Margaret was fighting a battle of her own. She was trying her hardest to hold a civil tongue and keep her cool demeanor, but her mother was making it nearly impossible. "So, where are we going first?" Margaret asked, trying to draw the attention away from herself and to her sister. "Is daddy here yet?"  
  
Katie put her hand on her sister's shoulder from the backseat. "He's at my house. We'll go to the hotel first so you can get settled."  
  
Margaret's eyes widened in fright. She didn't want them to find out that she and Hawkeye were sharing the same room because that would generate other questions about their relationship. "We are?"  
  
"Yes," her mother said. "Is there something wrong with that?"  
  
"No," she answered immediately. "That's fine. Are you staying there?"  
  
"Of course not. I'm staying with your sister."  
  
"Oh, okay."  
  
"I was planning on dropping you two off. Your sister and I have to get baby Janie home to be fed. We'll send someone over to pick you up a little later unless you want to take a cab."  
  
"A cab will be fine," Hawkeye answered from the back seat. He saw Margaret's shoulders relax and knew he said the right thing. "When should we be there?"  
  
"For lunch."  
  
"We'll be there."  
  
Katie saw how uncomfortable her sister was being made and wanted to save her. She knew just how she felt because for the past two days she had been made to feel like a child again. Their mother was overbearing and judgmental and Margaret was now the target. Soon the focus would turn to Hawkeye and Margaret was going to have to be there to save him. Katie jumped in and started to talk to her sister so Joan no longer could.  
  
"I think your hair looks really good," she said with a smile.  
  
Margaret turned in her seat and smiled. She knew what her sister was doing; they had been doing it since they were kids. It always took the focus off of them. "Thank you. Now, when is my niece going to wake up so I can hold her?"  
  
"You'll have to wait until you come to my house this afternoon. She sleeps most of the mornings."  
  
"Because you let her stay awake all night instead of teaching her that she's supposed to sleep at night." Joan was quick to jump in and criticize when it came to her daughter's parenting skills, or anything else for that matter.  
  
"Mom," Margaret said. "She's only four months old and I think Katie's doing a wonderful job with her."  
  
"How would you know? You haven't seen the baby for three months."  
  
Hawkeye sat and listened to this and couldn't wait to get out of that car. He would have taken Katie and the baby with them too to save them, but no one was supposed to know about him and Margaret sharing a room. "I don't know," he said. "This baby looks pretty damn healthy to me," he smiled at Katie and touched the baby's cheek. "She's a cubby little thing and cute as hell."  
  
"She'll grow out of it." Came Joan's vicious reply. "These two certainly did." Katie held back her anger as did Margaret. Hawkeye wished he was still back at the airport.  
  
"Well both your daughters turned out to be extremely attractive women. I'm sure Janie will turn out to be just as beautiful, if not more." He commented, looking at the sleeping child beside him. Up front, a small smile crept across Margaret's face, he had no fear at all. She was happy to know that he didn't find her mother discouraging like she and Katie did.  
  
Hawkeye was hoping for some sort of reaction from his future mother-in-law, he wanted her to know that she didn't affect him in the least. He had meant it when he told Margaret that he'd protect her. Joan could say what she liked, but he wasn't going to sit there and let her intimidate Margaret. He didn't give a damn if she was her mother or not.  
  
"There's the hotel." Katie pointed out the window. They were driving along the beach now. When they reached the front entrance Joan stopped the car and let them out. Hawkeye got the bags while Margaret talked with her sister about a pick up time. When Hawkeye had all the things they said goodbye and walked inside.  
  
Hawkeye walked over to the desk and checked the two of them in. Since he was the one that was out of work now and had more free time he was the one that made all the arrangements including choosing the room. He wanted them to be comfortable so he sprung for a larger room on one of the top floors looking out to the Atlantic Ocean with a perfect view of the beautiful Carolina coast. Margaret had just assumed he booked a normal room, something inexpensive because they were just going to use it to sleep in.  
  
Hawkeye came back with the key and handed it to his fiancé. "You take this and I'll take the luggage."  
  
"What about the bell boy?" She asked accepting the key.  
  
"He's busy. We could wait for him or just go upstairs."  
  
"Let's go."  
  
He smiled and picked up their bags letting her lead him to the elevator. "25th floor."  
  
"Why so high?" She pressed the button to call the elevator. It must have been sitting on the floor because it opened right away.  
  
"That's just where the room is." He walked in and set the bags down.  
  
"Hopefully no one else will be on that floor with us."  
  
"We'll see. Don't worry about it. I'm sure they have to be better than your mother."  
  
"I'm so sorry about her," she hooked her arm with his. "I hoped she wouldn't be like that."  
  
"Its okay. She doesn't bother me," he kissed the side of her head. "And, just so you know, I love your new hair color." She slapped his arm. "Ouch. What was that for?"  
  
"You're not supposed to say anything when a lady colors her hair."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled. "It's not anymore blonde than it was before." He moved his hand up to hold a lock between his fingers. "But it's a nicer shade, the peroxide wasn't as lovely." His hand moved lower to her neck where he gently began to work out the knots. He heard her whimper a little. Being in the car with her mother had made her so tense. Margaret let her head fall forward a little, encouraging him to keep working. "Why don't we just stay here for the rest of the evening and lie in bed, or better yet, soak in the tub." His hand moved to the side as he started placing kisses where had been massaging moments ago.  
  
He had no idea how much she actually wanted to consider his offer. Between his hands and lips she was feeling so much more relaxed. "Everyone won't be there." She started to say, they were all coming in later. "But we really should go over and say hello to my father, I'm sure he's eager to see us."  
  
The bell rang as they reached their floor and Hawkeye pulled away. He picked up their bags and waited for her to lead the way to their room. "You mean he's eager to see you. I'm the last person he wants to see." He reminded her.  
  
"I'm sure he's forgotten all about what happened last year." Margaret spotted their room and walked over to unlock the door.  
  
Hawkeye recalled Al turning over a table in the Officer's Club. "Just wait until he finds out that we're getting married." He really wasn't looking forward to that moment. If her family was anything like her father, they wouldn't like it all. "Can't you just see the revolt?" It was a scary thought, he shuddered slightly. "And what if they found out that we've been sleeping together?" That was an even worse thought. "You're father is surely going to want to shoot the man who's been banging you for the past couple of months."  
  
Finally Margaret got the door unlocked. She turned the knob and opened the door to reveal a very spacious looking room. Margaret gave a small gasp, she couldn't believe he had gotten one so expensive.  
  
"Is this the right room?"  
  
"Yes." He put the bags down and shut the door. "Is nice, isn't it?"  
  
"Honey, why did you get one so expensive?"  
  
"I wanted you to feel comfortable." He watched her as she looked around touching things like she was making sure they were real. "What time do we have to get out of here?"  
  
"We have an hour before we have to leave." She walked over to the bedroom and opened the curtains to reveal the most spectacular view of the Atlantic she had ever seen. "This is beautiful." She was giving his earlier idea about staying there in bed a second thought.  
  
He met her in the bedroom with the bags and set them down on the bed. "Maybe we should shower. For some reason I always feel dirty after I get off an airplane."  
  
"Its all that sweating you do," she answered as she walked out of the room and back to the living room. It had the same view as the bedroom, but she wanted to look at it anyway.  
  
"It's from the claustrophobia. We should have driven down like I said."  
  
"It would have been too easy to leave."  
  
Hawkeye walked back into the living room and stood in the doorway. "Well think about it like this, no one knows where we are. They don't have a damn clue we're on the 25th floor and I didn't care to reserve this room under either of our names." Margaret turned and looked at him then, a curious expression spread across her face. Hawkeye gave her a mischievous smile and turned around and walked back into the bedroom.  
  
Suddenly over come with curiosity she followed him. "So they'll never be able to find out we're together."  
  
"That was the idea." He was sitting on the bed as he untied his shoes.  
  
"And it's not under your name?" She was surprised that he had done all this without telling her.  
  
"Nope." He took off his socks.  
  
"Then what name did you use?" He only smiled. Margaret watched as he began to unbutton his shirt. He walked over to her and began unbuttoning her shirt as well. "What are you doing?" She didn't try to stop him.  
  
"We're going to take a shower." He told her simply.  
  
"We?"  
  
"Yes." He pushed her shirt off her shoulders. "You know I don't like to shower alone."  
  
"I know," she smiled. She pushed his shirt down as well and let it fall to the floor next to hers. Her hands moved over his chest feeling the muscles. "Are you still working out?"  
  
"Uh huh." His lips moved to hers and her kissed her gently sending chills up and down her spine.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Her hands moved to his belt buckle and started to loosen it. "Maybe, we should test out this bed first."  
  
He grinned widely. "Yes, maybe we should."  
  
She pushed his pants to the floor along with his boxers and he stepped out of them walking her over to the couch. Usually she was the first one naked, but she beat him to it this time. "Wait," she moved her lips away. "Bed."  
  
He looked into her eyes for a second and then picked up her hand pulling her to the king sized bed in the other room. He gently pushed her onto it as he laid over top of her kissing her neck and chest working his way down to her pants.  
  
Hawkeye loosened her buckle and easily undid her button with a quick motion. He pulled the zipper down and helped her out of her pants as quickly as she had helped him. His body moved back up hers as he moved his mouth back to kiss her neck.  
  
Margaret was in a world of bliss and passion. The way his hands moved and the feel of his lips on her skin drove her wild. She loved the way his body felt against hers as they caressed and touched each other. At that moment she no longer cared if they made it to her sister's house or not, she was just too absorbed in him.  
  
He was nestled between her legs as he steadily moved his lips from one sensitive point to the next. They were in the midst of kissing passionately when he suddenly and abruptly started laughing hysterically.  
  
Before that moment Margaret had been some place else, a place far away bathing in pure bliss and arousal. "W.wha.what are you.laughing at?"  
  
He let his head fall back as an even louder laugh erupted. "I.I'm.sor.sorry." He said through heavy breaths and more laughs. "It.it's.just.that."  
  
She didn't find anything funny about it. "Yes?"  
  
"It's all.so.so silly."  
  
"What is?" She looked up at him and waited for him to answer her.  
  
He moved away and sat up on the bed. "All of this."  
  
"What?" She sat up next to him and pulled the blanket to over herself to cover her somewhat.  
  
"All of this. How old are we? Everyone knows we're not a couple of virgins. Your nickname is Hot Lips, I'm sure it crossed everyone's minds before, 'which lips?'"  
  
Her eyes widened and she slapped him across the chest as hard as she could causing him to laugh again. "You're disgusting! They're my family for God sakes."  
  
"Honey, all of this is a little ridiculous. We're both mature adults."  
  
"One of us is anyway."  
  
He smiled. "Anyway, it's all so silly."  
  
"It seems that way, but wait until you meet them. You'll be glad that they don't know we're sleeping together and living together. That kind of stuff is left unsaid in my family."  
  
He started to laugh again, but she didn't find it funny at all. "Can you.ah," he held his stomach. "Oh, I can.ah."  
  
"What?!" She demanded.  
  
"I can just see your father's face," he stopped to catch his breath. "When he find out.that I've been banging his little girl."  
  
She sighed rolling her eyes. "You're so crude!" She got out of the bed and walked off to the bathroom leaving him to his laughter. She didn't find it the least bit humorous. There wasn't anything funny about being together with fifty people all knowing what you do in your personal life and judging you for every little move that you make. He would soon find out.  
  
Margaret went and started the shower, she wasn't interested in making love with him anymore, not after that. She had bigger things to worry about than his sexual need at the moment. Wrapped in a towel, she walked back out into the bedroom to get her shower things. It had been over a year since she had seen her father, and despite Hawkeye's relentlessness and mockery, she was excited to see him.  
  
Margaret half expected Hawkeye to still be sitting on the bed giggling to himself, but to her mild surprise he was just standing in the middle of the room. "What are you doing?" She eyed him as she found her shower things.  
  
"Thinking." He looked over at her.  
  
"Weren't you having more fun making fun of me." She shot. Hawkeye resented that comment, he hadn't been picking on her.  
  
"I'm sorry about that. It just makes me angry. Baby you're tearing yourself apart, and for what, nothing."  
  
"It's not nothing to me. You know how much family means and I just want their approval. Is that too much to ask?"  
  
"If you're trying to be something that you're not, then they are not approving of you, their approving of the person they think you are."  
  
She knew that he was right, and she hated it. She wanted her father's approval most of all. She had always looked up to him and she just wanted his blessings. There wasn't another time in her life that she felt such joy and happiness and all she wanted was for her father to see that and be happy for her. Even if the rest of the family didn't care, she wanted him to. She grabbed her shower things and headed back to the bathroom shutting the door behind her.  
  
Hawkeye didn't hear a click from the lock so he took that as a good sign. When she locked him out of the bathroom he knew she was made at him. Sometimes he thought she just licked to make sure he heard the click of the lock to reinforce her anger. Since he didn't hear it this time, he knew she wasn't too angry and would let her calm down some before talking to her. He decided to pass the time by unpacking their things and tossing the suitcases to the side.  
  
Showering always made Margaret unwind. The heat relaxed the muscles and being relaxed cleared the mind. She loved Hawkeye with all her heart and wanted nothing more than to be with him forever and maybe one day start a family together, but sometimes he would really piss her off. Why couldn't he just support her in this? She knew her family and how they would react. Today she was going to reintroduce her father to an army hating democrat that he already had a pretty healthy hate toward and tell him that the man was now her fiancé. She was nervous and scared.  
  
She took her time doing her hair, making sure that it looked absolutely perfect. Her mother had already started making comments about her hair; she didn't want to give her reason to do that again. Once she had her hair and make up done she opened the door and walked back into the bedroom, this time clad in a long robe.  
  
Hawkeye had neatly folded their clothes and set them on the bed. He hadn't put them in the best of piles, but they weren't in a big heap either. She rummaged through the underwear pile, looking for her nylons. When she found those she started looking for her other articles of clothing. That's when she saw them, another flare of anger arose in her. Those stupid pants! He had told her he wasn't going to bring them, and yet here they were, lying on the bed!  
  
Luckily for him he wasn't in the room at that moment. In fact, Margaret didn't know where he was. Without regard to his whereabouts she quickly dressed, wearing a dress that leaned more to the conservative side than the more revealing he had suggested.  
  
"Where are you?" She called to him as she gathered up the last of her things and checked her hair.  
  
His voice called from the living room. "I'm out here." She walked out there to make sure he wasn't standing there naked, she would have killed him if he had been. To her surprise he was sitting on the couch completely dressed except a tie and a pair of shoes. Any anger she felt for him had disappeared. Maybe he did understand after all.  
  
"You're dressed." She said in almost a whisper.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" He stood up holding two ties for her to look at. "Which matches?"  
  
"This one," she touched the dark blue one.  
  
"Okay." He tossed the yellow one onto he couch. "You look nice."  
  
"Thank you," she brushed the torso of her dress. "I don't know if I like it."  
  
He gave her a small smile. "You look good, honey."  
  
"Not too.um.old?" He shook his head no. Now she was looking for his approval. Maybe one day she would learn that it was okay to be herself. "Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm sure." He played with his tie trying to get it on correctly as she decided whether or not she looked good. "Can you help me with this?"  
  
She moved in closer to him and placed her hands on his tie. "I just don't want my father to hate me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hawkeye, I love him. He's my father."  
  
He put his hands on hers and made her look into his eyes. "I don't think you could ever get your father to hate you. I may not like the man, but I saw how much he loves you when he was at the 4077th a year ago. I watched him say goodbye to you and it looked like his heart had been ripped out."  
  
"Really?"  
  
He nodded and gave her a kiss. "I promise to behave myself today, but you need to be yourself. Don't be someone else for them. You're better than that."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hawkeye gave her hand a loving squeeze. He could tell she was nervous, she had hardly said a single word the entire car trip there. At exactly eleven o'clock, Katie's husband Rick picked them up at the hotel entrance. Margaret was relived it was just him, anyone else would have just made her even more uncomfortable. This time they sat in the back together, sitting closer than they would have been had someone other than Rick been in the car.  
  
For Rick it was an interesting sight. Hawkeye had one arm wrapped around her shoulders and his opposite hand holding hers. They were talking in low voices so he couldn't make out what they were saying, but Hawkeye looked like he was sitting too close to Margaret. He was speaking directly into her ear in a soft whisper as she listened intently.  
  
"Just relax." He spoke gently. She was already tensing up in his arms. "Everything will just fine."  
  
"It's been four years since I've seen the majority of them. They're all Houlihans, judgmental and controlling, just like dad."  
  
"Ah, but you've got something they don't." He told her.  
  
"What's that?" She was starting to feel uncomfortable with Rick sitting there. There were times when she swore she could feel his eyes looking at her.  
  
Hawkeye placed a daring kiss right below her ear. "You've got me." He whispered softly. Normally Margaret would have welcomed his touch and not minded him showing her affection, but that really wasn't the time or place. She pushed him away with her shoulder, urging him to move over and get off her.  
  
Hawkeye didn't like being jabbed in the chest, he didn't like her shoving him. He was trying to be supportive and she was pushing him away. Reluctantly he moved away from her and sat closer to the window. Normally Margaret would felt bad for doing that to him, but he wasn't making it any easier on her. She was trying to collect herself and all he was doing was trying to feel her up with her brother-in-law in the car.  
  
The rest of the way there Rick eyed the two of them and felt better about it that they were apart. He wasn't a Houlihan, but he had been around them long enough to know that his sister-in-law was about to break some unspoken rules in that family. It made him uncomfortable to know that before they arrived. Now he felt like he knew something and would be hiding it from his in-laws. Al already hated him; he didn't want the man to kill him.  
  
Rick finally pulled into the driveway and by that time Hawkeye and Margaret sitting as far apart as they could get. Margaret was tense and cold and Hawkeye was just plain mad. Why would she push him away like that? Was she suddenly embarrassed of him? What had changed in those few seconds that made her do that to him? He didn't know, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Her family was making her crazy and they weren't even together at the moment. He could only imagine what the weekend was really going to be like. 


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO  
  
Margaret was an extremely passionate and sensitive woman. She was soulful and generous; overly compassionate and one of the most resourceful people he'd ever known. Despite all of that, as Hawkeye concluded, he couldn't have found a more stubborn and headstrong woman even if he tried. She could be vindictive and cunning when she wanted to be, she'd had plenty of years of practice when it came to being manipulative and over bearing. Sometimes he took it in stride and accepted it as just being apart of her nature, but there were other times when he knew she was just doing it to spite him. This was one of those times.

She had introduced him to her parents as a friend forgetting that they were engaged.  They had talked about how they would announce their engagement while they were still at home and they both agreed that she would take the ring off until her parents knew.  Hawkeye was furious when she didn't tell them.  That was the first thing that she did and that was just a taste if things to come.  Apparently she left the Margaret Houlihan he knew and loved at the front door and became someone he didn't know.

The entire family seemed to pretend he wasn't there except Margaret's sister, Katie.  But even she had her moments.  There were times that she would be talking to him and he would notice Al or Joan look over and suddenly Katie would get up because she had forgotten to do something.  He did not want to be there.  He didn't like the person his fiancé had turned into.

When lunch was ready to be served they all moved out to the patio to eat.  The women had brought everything out and the only reason Margaret sat next to him was because that was the only seat left.  She glanced over at him quickly giving him a warning look not to touch her.  He rolled his eyes and waited until the food was passed his way and then ate in silence as he listened to Joan constantly jab both of her daughters whenever she got a chance.  He wanted to say something to her, but what for?  The entire family pretended that he wasn't there.

"Margaret," Al said.  "How is it working in a stateside hospital?"

"I really like it, Dad."

"I was talking to an old friend of mine the other day and I think I can get you transferred out of there and to Belgium."

Hawkeye looked over at her to see what she was going to say.  She gave her father a smile.  "That's okay.  I really like where I am right now."

"It'll be good for your career.  I'll put the call in when I get home in a few days."

"No, Dad, you don't have to.  I'm fine."

"Nonsense.  I know what's best for you.  I can help you."

Hawkeye looked at Margaret and she still refused to look at him.  She knew she was leaving the army in a matter of months and she couldn't tell her father.  He was going to find out sooner or later and she was only making it harder on herself by keeping it a secret.  "Okay," she gave in.

"You know Al," Joan said.  "I think you need to leave her alone.  She's getting up there in age and it's about time she finds a nice man and settles down."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not.  She's almost thirty years old and she's still single living on her own.  She needs to get married before she shames the family anymore.  Look at her…"

Margaret wanted to cry, but she held back and put on a hard front as her parents talked about her like she wasn't there.  Hawkeye almost felt bad for her, but he was too pissed to really feel that bad.  Margaret looked over at her sister and asked with pleading eyes to be saved.  Katie came through like she always did.  "Maggie, would you get the baby?  She should be awake now."

"Yes," Margaret stood up and practically bolted into the house.  Once she was inside she leaned against the door and sighed.  Being with them was enough to drive her mad.  She didn't have any time to concentrate on that because she heard Janie's cry.  That baby had perfect timing to save her aunt.

Meanwhile...  
  
Hawkeye used to think that the Korean War had been the bore of his life; standing in an operating room for dozens of hours on end, sitting without a thing to do when the war moved north. He had hated the dysentery, the lice, and the cold showers. Now for some very strange reason he was wishing he was back at the 4077th, lying on his cot and looking up at the green canvas ceiling. At least there he felt like a human being and not a stray dog 

.  
Hawkeye had sat in on autopsies and bowel resections that were more fun. The proctologist was even more enjoyable than this. Sitting there with Margaret's parents and sister and brother-in-law was just pure torture.   
  
He was livid at the moment and was actually starting to consider just getting up and walking out. No one wanted him there, not even his own fiancé. If today was turning out to be terrible, he couldn't imagine when the other fifty or so other people showed up the next day. Hawkeye decided right then that he wasn't going to go. If Margaret wanted to go, that was her business, but there was no way in hell he was going with her.

It was twenty minutes later when Margaret walked back outside with the baby in her arms. She had taken a little breather getting to know her niece while she left her fiancé to be tortured by her family. Janie made her feel better and a little more refreshed. Now she was starting to feel bad about doing what she had been doing to Hawkeye; she just didn't know what to do. She knew that he would be furious at her later that day when they headed back to the hotel. She could see it in his eyes and his body language. For her, he wasn't a hard person to read.

"Look who's up," Katie smiled standing to take her daughter. 

Margaret handed her over reluctantly and took her seat beside Hawkeye. She looked over at him for the first time since lunch had started and he looked away. Under the table her hand crept over and she placed it gently on his knee, but he moved his leg away and out of her reach. Margaret tried to sit there like nothing was wrong and listened to her mother tell her what she should be doing and listened to her father tell her what she had to do. If she could have, she would have gotten up and ran far away with her fiancé, but as it stood now she wasn't even sure he would follow her.

"Margaret, Katherine," Joan stated. "Don't you think its time you two cleared this table?"

"Yes ma'am," Margaret said as she stood up.

"I'll take Janie," she said pulling the baby away from her mother.

"No," Katie said. "I need to feed her. She'll come with me."

"She doesn't need to be fed right now."

"Mom, she's my daughter and I'll take care of her as I see fit."

Margaret didn't look at anyone, but kept her eyes on the things she was gathering from the table. She was glad to hear her little sister say something, but she didn't know what was coming next. She didn't want to know either and took off calmly for the kitchen with her arms full.

Margaret ended up doing the majority of the dishes alone that night, at one point Rick came in and dried for her, but that was about it. She had been hoping Hawkeye would have come in and at least talked with her, but no such thing happened. The whole afternoon was turning out to be one gigantic disaster. Her parents continually pointed out her flaws and talked about her like she wasn't even there. Margaret was used to that though, they had been doing that to her for her entire life, but that didn't mean she liked it.  
  
The only thing that really mattered to Margaret was Hawkeye; however things weren't going so well between them. She felt terrible for the way things were turning out, but there wasn't much she could do about it at the moment. What she needed to do was get him alone and talk it out, but even then he might storm out. She saw the heart wrenching look on his face when she introduced him as a friend. Margaret knew she should have told them what was really going on, but she'd just felt so flustered seeing her father and mother again.  
  
Hawkeye was anything but a friend to her. He was her best friend, her better half, her lover. Hawkeye was the only person who had ever made her feel the way he did, he was the only person who had ever urged her to be herself. When it came right down to it, Hawkeye was more important to her than anyone else. If she had to choose between him and her father, she wouldn't have had to think about the answer, it was a no brainer.  
  
When Margaret had finished the dishes she walked out in to the living room where her sister was feeding the baby. She sat down beside her and watched her little niece.   
  
Katie looked at her older sister and smiled. "I really appreciate you doing the dishes, I'm sorry I couldn't help."  
  
"No." Margaret touched the baby's head and ran her fingers through her hair. "This was more important. I didn't mind at all."  
  
Katie smiled brightly. "Thanks."  
  
The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes. Margaret was trying to unwind and just relax. That's when she realized that it was abnormally quiet. "Where is everyone?"  
  
"Dad and Rick went to pick up Uncle Mike from the airport." Uncle Mike was Al's brother, his very close brother. Sometimes it was hard to tell them apart.  
  
"Wonderful." She sighed and rubbed her face with her hand. "Just what I need. Another one." 

"I know what you mean.  How do you think I feel?  Mom is staying here with me and I have all of them running in and out of my house."

Margaret sighed placing a hand on one of the baby's chubby bare feet.  "At least you have this little one for an excuse to escape from all of that madness."

"Yeah.  Sometimes I wish she would stay awake so I don't have to deal with everyone.  I could just take care of her."

Margaret smiled at her.  "I might fight you for that job."

"Sorry, you have to have your own."

"I don't know after the way today is going."

Katie pulled the baby away from her breast and started to place her on her shoulder to burp her.  "What do you mean?  I thought you said you and Hawkeye were just friends anyway."  Katie gave her sister a knowing smile.

"Stop it.  You know he's not."

"I know, and Mom almost caught you two at the airport.  Two 'friends' don't hug like that."

"You're right.  Oh no," she suddenly said.  "He's out there with just Mom, isn't he?"  Katie nodded.  "Will you go save him for me?  He's not on the best of terms with me after today."

"I can't.  The baby."

"I'll take her."  Margaret gathered the baby into her arms.  "Please do this for me."

"Oh, alright."  

"Thank you so much.  You're the best sister."

Katie rolled her eyes and pointed a finger at her big sister.  "You owe me."

"I know, I know."

Katie was feeling very skeptical as she walked through the kitchen and out to the patio. She didn't know anything about Hawkeye, but she certainly knew her mother very well. Hawkeye was hard to read, she wasn't able to distinguish a single thing about him from their short talk. All she knew what was Margaret had told her, and that wasn't very much. She hoped her mother wasn't digging into him too much.  
  
As she neared the door she could hear their heated voices. Her mother had done it again; at least Hawkeye didn't seem to be taking it. Whether that was a good thing or bad, she wasn't sure.  
  
Joan's voice was very shrill and demanding. Katie could only imagine the look on Hawkeye's face. "What kind of a man befriends a woman?" She questioned him. "What are your intentions with my daughter?" Kate could just imagine her mother leaned casually back in the chair, her eyes fixated on Hawkeye.  
  
"I don't really see why that's any of your business." Hawkeye's voice was just as cool and if not more collective. Katie maneuvered so she could see them through the window. Joan was giving him a nasty look.

"You're wrong.  Tell me Dr. Pierce, what do you want from my daughter?"

"Does it really matter to you anyway?"

"What is that supposed to mean?!"  She demanded sitting forward losing her confidence that she could push the man around.  Now she needed to intimidate him.

"I saw the way you treat her.  You don't seem to care about her, so why would you care what part I play in her life?"

Joan narrowed her eyes wanting to lash out at the man, but she couldn't do that.  He would lash back and she wasn't used to that from anyone.  "You, young man, know nothing of family and love.  Do you have any children?  Oh, you probably don't even know if you do."

Hawkeye's eyes widened and his blood boiled.  He could feel his blood pressure rising, but he had to stay calm.  Despite what Margaret had done to him that afternoon he still loved her and would one day be part of that crazy family.  "I do know that answer, and that isn't any of your business either."

"I don't like you," Joan said evenly and without remorse.

"Good.  I'm not here for you to like.  I'm here for Margaret."

Inside Katie was standing quietly with her ear pressed up to the glass.  She told her sister she would go out there and save Hawkeye, but he didn't seem like he needed saving, so she just stood there and listened.  She could hear Margaret talking to the baby and knew that they were fine.  Katie debated about whether or not she wanted to go outside and she knew that she didn't want to step out into that because she didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.

Katie decided that walking out there would only make things worse for herself. She wouldn't be helping; she'd only be putting herself in the line of fire. Quietly she turned and walked back into the living room.   
  
Margaret was sitting on the couch playing with the baby. She looked up when her sister walked into the room. "What happened?" She asked when she notice that neither Hawkeye nor their mother were with her.   
  
"I uh..." She picked up her daughter. "I wasn't about to get into that."  
  
"Was it that bad?"  
  
"Let's just say...I've heard war stories from dad that weren't as gruesome."  
  
Margaret covered her face with her hand. "Oh no." She groaned.   
  
Kate adjusted the baby on her hip. "I'm surprised that he's lasted so long with her, but then again, I was more worried for her towards the end."  
  
Margaret wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She knew Hawkeye wasn't about to let anyone walk all over him, especially Joan, but she was worried that one of them might get too excited and do something rash.  "Maybe I should go out there."

"If you have to.  Hawkeye seems to be doing fine on his own."

"That's what I'm afraid of."  Margaret stood up and straightened her dress.  "I hate this dress.  Its so uncomfortable."

"Why did you wear it?  It doesn't look like you."

"Yeah, well there's a lot about me today that doesn't seem like me."

"What?"  Katie asked with confusion.

"Nothing.  If no one comes in here in ten minutes, call an ambulance.  I might just have to strangle our mother."  Margaret walked bravely toward the back door.

Katie looked at the baby on her hip and smiled.  "I think Aunt Maggie will finally be standing up for herself this weekend.  It's like watching a time bomb without knowing how much longer you have until it goes off."

Margaret took a deep breath before she walked onto the patio.  She wasn't sure what she was in for, but she had done enough damage to her fiancé today and it was about time she started to make up for it.  She composed herself and opened the door.  Joan was quite now and so was Hawkeye.  They both stopped and looked at her.  Suddenly her confidence slipped and her step faltered a bit.  

"Margaret Elizabeth Houlihan, where are you been?!"  Joan demanded.

"I was…ah…"  She pointed to the house.  "Cleaning and then um…spending some time with ah…Janie."

Hawkeye hated how her self esteem and confidence dropped like that.  He stood up bravely and took her hand helping her to regain some stability and walked her over to one of the vacant seats at the table.  She gave him a weak but grateful smile as he pulled out the chair for her and she sat down.  "Did you get to know your niece a little?"  Hawkeye asked.

She nodded.  "I did.  Are you two okay out here?"

"I'm going in," Joan stood to her feet.  "You need to stay away from that man!  He's no good for you or anyone else for that matter!"  With that said Joan stomped off into the house to degrade her other daughter for a little while.

As soon as they were sure she was gone they both relaxed a little. Margaret took a deep breath as she started to breathe again. Somehow being around her mother caused her to forget how. She looked over at Hawkeye; he was seated back in his chair with his eyes fixated on her.   
  
Margaret met his gaze and looked at him with a longing. Then with a deflated look she said. "I'm surprised you're still here, I would have thought you'd have left by now." Her eyes shifted to the ground. "I've treated you terribly. I don't know why you even bother with me."  
  
Hearing her say that just made him even angrier. Why was she always so quick to second guess him? He was suddenly sitting up on the edge of his seat. "I love you more than anything. There isn't a single person or single thing in this whole world that means more to me than you. I know things aren't always going to be perfect between us, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to get up and leave. When I told that you I loved you I meant it. When I said that I wanted to be with you forever I meant forever. And when I asked you to marry me it wasn't just for a little while, it was for life. I'm on your side Margaret; you've got to believe me. I just want you to be yourself, the woman that I've grown to love more than anything."  
  
Margaret sat there, starring at him, her eyes searching his. She felt so terrible for hurting him the way she did. He'd been supportive of her the whole time and she'd only pushed him away and off to the side. "I'm so sorry." She shook her head, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I love you so much..." She had to stop to keep from crying. "I needed someone to direct my frustrations at and you got in the way. You're the last person I wanted to hurt; you mean so much to me..."  
  
Hawkeye could tell the day was really taking its toll on her. She was a mess on the inside and out. Quickly he slid from his chair and moved to take her in his arms. Immediately she held onto him and buried her face in his chest

. He rubbed her back soothingly and held her tight against him.  
  
After a few minutes she calmed down and leaned heavily against him. Hawkeye pulled his head back enough so he could look at her face. "What do you say we just go back?" He asked her softly as he wiped the smeared mascara from her face. "It'll just be you and me for the rest of the day." Margaret nodded; she didn't want to be there anymore. She was tired and just wanted to be with the one person who really mattered. Together they stood up and walked back into the house.

Finding new strength she took her fiancé's hand and led him through the kitchen and to the living room where they saw Katie and Joan.  Margaret took a few deep breaths and then spoke.  "Mom, we're going to leave and spend the day together."

"What?!"

"We're leaving," Margaret enforced.  

Katie stood up not wanting to see her sister go.  That meant she was left alone with their mother again.  Her sister owed her one and by leaving she wasn't not paying.  "Maggie, why?  Please don't go."

"Sorry.  We flew in here this morning and after being here this afternoon we're tired."

Hawkeye put his arm around her shoulders and held her close.  "We'll be back tomorrow."

Margaret looked up at him.  "I'll call a cab."

Katie followed her sister out of the room leaving the baby with Joan and Hawkeye.  As soon as Katie left the room the baby started to cry, but then she heard her daughter settle down so she continued to follow her sister into the den.  "Maggie, stop."

Margaret picked up the phone and dialed the operator asking to be directed to a taxi service.  "Katie, I don't want to stay here.  We can't stay here."

"But you're leaving me here all alone."

"I'm sorry."

"Please," she begged.  "Don't do this to me."

"Its more important for Hawkeye and I to be alone right now than it is to sit here and be tortured anymore by Mom and Dad."  

Katie paused while Margaret talked to the cab company telling them the address.  When she hung up Katie looked at her older sister with longing.  "Why do you have to go now?"

Margaret picked up her sister's hands.  "You know why.  We'll be back tomorrow at one for the reunion.  I promise.  Believe me, all the attention will be on me and you'll be safe, okay?"

"What do you mean?"

Margaret smiled at her sister.  "You'll know tomorrow.  Let's go so I can save Hawk from Mom."

When the two of them walked out into the living room they were both a little surprised to see it was Hawkeye holding the baby and Joan had disappeared.  "Hey, you two.  I was just getting to know this little girl.  We had a nice long talk and decided that neither one of us like Grandma."  Katie and Margaret both looked wide eyed looking for any signs of their mother.  They didn't want her to hear that.  "She's outside."

The two sisters let out sighs of relief.  "What did you do to her?"

"Me?  I didn't do anything.  It was all Janie here I'm proud to say."

"What?"  Margaret took her niece into her arms.  "What happened?"

Hawkeye smiled at her.  "She started to cry when Katie left the room so your mother picked her up and she started to scream.  I took her and she was fine."

Katie and Margaret both smiled.  "Sounds like us.  Come on," Katie said.  "I'll wait with you two out front for that cab.

Katie hated to see her sister go, she was the only one who understood how she felt. Having Margaret there made it easier, their parents paid less attention to her and she had someone to back her up. Of course she did have her husband, but Rick wasn't anything like Hawkeye. Hawkeye wasn't scared of their parents; he had even stood up to Joan. Rick would never have done that.   
  
For the first time since they had arrived, Margaret finally felt good about her decision. She was starting to realize just how right Hawkeye had been. He was more important to her than anyone else and she felt it was time she started showing it. From that point on she was going to be honest with herself and with her family. If they didn't like her relationship with Hawkeye, than that was just their problem. All that mattered now what them.  
  
The cab ride back to the hotel was the complete opposite of what it had been earlier. They were sitting together with their arms around each other. Instead of feeling anger and frustration, they were feeling rather happy.  
  
"I'm proud of you." Hawkeye told her softly as he pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.  
  
"I didn't do anything. You were the one who stood up to my mother." She hugged him tighter, grateful for the security of his strong arms.   
  
He planted a kiss on her hair. "I know, but you will. You took a great step today, walking out of there like that and telling them that we weren't coming back." He was surprised at how she had told her mother, she had sounded confident, she had sounded like the real Margaret.   
  
A smile spread across her face as she remembered the scene. "And that look on my mother's face, I haven't felt anything so gratifying in a long time. I thought she was going to faint."  
  
Hawkeye laughed softly at that. "Especially since you were leaving with me."

"Yes."

"What do you mean by that?"

She smiled at him and gave him a kiss. "I feel wonderful."

"Good. We have the rest of the day to ourselves. What do you want to do?"

"I suppose we could walk around and look at what's here. But first I want to go back to the hotel and change. I'm throwing out all the conservative clothes I bought!"

He held her tighter proudly. "Good. In that case, this is only a one time offer..."

"Yes?"

He sighed. "Why don't we go shopping?"

She laughed and nodded her head. "That sounds good. I'll need someone to carry my bags, so now you won't be board."

He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe what I've gotten myself into."

"Maybe," she whispered. "I'll model some swim suits if you're good."

"Mmm..." He starred at her lips. "I don't think that's very fair."  
  
"Why not? I thought you would have enjoyed looking at me in a swim suit."  
  
"Oh honey." He kissed the underside of her chin and then her neck. His lips moved up to her ear where he whispered. "Finding you attractive is not the problem. It's enjoying it too much that's the problem."  
  
Margaret smiled and laughed very softly. Her hands went to his head as he kissed her neck again. He nuzzled her lovingly as he hugged her tighter. "I feel like a new woman." She told him. "I just hope I can keep it up tomorrow. My father and his family can be very intimidating."  
  
Hawkeye was enjoying their closeness immensely. Before that she wouldn't even let him touch her, now she was being even more cuddly then she had been the night before. "I can be even more intimidating." He told her. "You have nothing to worry about. I'll be right by your side the whole time."   
  
Margaret relaxed against him. "I love you, you know that?"  
  
"I love you too...even when you ignore everything I say." He teased her.  
  
Margaret didn't respond to that. He had been telling her the truth and she chose not to pay attention. After a few moments she moved back so she could see his face. "You know something, you're not only handsome and talented, you're also smart."  
  
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow to that. She didn't compliment him that often. He got such a rush to his ego when she did that. "You know something, I should agree to take you shopping more often."  
  
She jabbed him in the arm. "I'm serious!" Then in a quieter voice she said. "You're everything to me, and I'm sorry I don't always show it."  
  
Hawkeye let a finger graze her cheek. "I love you."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
It wasn't a long drive to the hotel from Katie's house. Hawkeye tipped the cab driver and walked hand in hand with Margaret up to their room. She still couldn't get over how extravagant he had gone for her; she would have been more than happy in a regular room.   
  
He immediately started loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. "I think we both need to make some changes before we go back tomorrow."  
  
Margaret was looking through her clothes for something more comfortable to wear. "Besides getting rid of these horrid dresses?" She had taken off her dress and thrown it across the room.   
  
"Exactly, you're going to wear something sexy that shows off your figure." He fidgeted with his tie some more. "And I'm not going to wear another damned tie." Finally he got it off.

"You look so handsome all dressed up."

"But I don't like it!"  He threw the tie across the room and then took his shirt off.

"I know you don't, but you're not going like a bum are you?"

"No.  I'll still let you dress me, but no tie."

"Deal."  She pulled out a pair of white shorts.  "What about these?"

"For you?  Fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."  He sat down on the bed and took off his pants so he was only in his boxers and an undershirt.  "Where did you put my jeans?"

She looked back at him.  "You're not wearing those, are you?"

"I said I would let you dress me tomorrow.  Today I get to pick what I wear."

She rolled her eyes giving in because she knew she wasn't going to win that fight.  She had always hated those jeans and one day they were going in the trash.  "Fine.  I don't have a shirt to wear with these."

"So buy one.  Just throw something on.  Now where are my jeans?"  She opened the draw in front of her and threw them at him.  "Thank you."

"I don't want to wear those," she tossed the shorts aside.  "What about these?"

"Even better.  I love those on you."  He grinned.  They were his favorite jeans on her because accentuated everything that he loved.

"I'll wear these."  She pulled the pants on and then took off her slip so the only top she was wearing was her bra.  

"You could always go like that." He smiled mischievously as he took off his undershirt.  
  
Margaret laughed at that. "In your dreams."  
  
"How about later tonight?" He asked questionably, hoping she would say yes.   
  
After she had slipped her shirt on she turned around and looked at him. She gave him a half smile as she raised one eyebrow. "I'm ready, are you?"  
  
Hawkeye looked down at himself, he was sitting on the bed in his underwear. "I could always go like this."  
  
"That is better than wearing those jeans..." She told him as she looked over his body.  
  
"You're better to look at than I am." He commented as he pulled them on, knowing it drove her wild. He picked out a more comfortable T-shirt and put it on.   
  
Margaret looked him up and down. "We'll see if we can't find any men's stores. I'd love to take you shopping."  
  
"No, we're shopping for you. You're the one who needs a change in wardrobe. They started walking towards the door.  
  
"You're the one who's wearing a pair of five year old jeans and a shirt to match." She told him.  
  
"I am not..." He opened if for her and followed her to the elevator. "They're four years old."

**********************

It was less then twenty minutes later that Hawkeye found himself being led around in a men's clothing store.  Margaret was handing him things to go try on and telling him whether or not she liked it without regard to his personal taste.  He tried to tell her that once or twice but she just told him that he didn't have any taste.  All he cared about was comfort and she was trying to combine that with some decent looking clothes.  

"Margaret, are we done yet?"  

"No.  You need some pants."

"For what?  I don't work right now.  What do I need all these nice clothes for?"

"Because you do."  She held up a nice collared golf shirt up to him.  

"Do you golf?"

"What?"

"You know how much I love to play, but do you?"

"I've never tried it."  She didn't pay much attention to him and tossed him another shirt.  "Should I just go do this without you?"

"Why the hell not?  You don't need me here for anything."

"No, I need you to try some things on."  He rolled his eyes.  He wanted to get out of there.  Suddenly it dawned on her.  "Do you want to go golfing while I shop?"

Hawkeye was a little perplexed by the question at first, suddenly he understood what she was asking. She thought he was trying to get out of being with her. "No, no, no, I want to be here with you. I was just curious, that's all." He put his hands on her arms. "I'm the one that wanted to take you shopping, remember?"  
  
Margaret wasn't thinking that at all. "I know that. I was just thinking that if that's something you wanted to do, then we should do it one day."  
  
"You'd want to do that with me?" He could hardly believe she wanted to go.  
  
"I want to do what you want to do. You're taking me shopping even though you hate it, so we'll do something that you want to do." Margaret gave him a soft kiss.   
  
"Well you know what I'd really like to do..." His voice trailed lower as he moved closer to her.   
  
Margaret swatted him away. "Go try on those clothes."  
  
Hawkeye looked at the pile in his arms. "And I suppose you're going to want to have a look when I do?"  
  
Margaret smiled. "Of course."  
  
"You know what that means don't you?" He asked as he prepared to walk into the dressing room.  
  
"What does it mean?"  
  
"It means that when you start trying on clothes, I get to see." His voice trailed off again. Then in a softer tone he said. "Preferably in the dressing room where I can watch."

She smiled at him.  "Get going so we can get out of this store."

"Okay."  

The two of them walked to the back of the store where the dressing room was.  Hawkeye tried on pants and every time he did, Margaret felt the need to tug at the waist making sure there was enough room.  He felt like a child shopping for clothes with their mother.  She would make him turn around and walk to make sure everything fit him just right.  They spent over a half an hour doing that.  Margaret could tell that he was frustrated and wanted to get out of there.  After he was done trying things on they checked out and moved to the next store.

"What color do you like best on me?"  Margaret asked looking through some very nice summery dresses.

"Try this one," Hawkeye handed her a light pink dress.  "I want you to look good tomorrow.  Show them all that you don't care what they think and you're happy in your own skin."

Margaret smiled and agreed with the pink dress.  It was more feminine and that's what she was going for.  She was a woman and a very happy woman.  Hawkeye made her that way and she wanted to look good for him if no one else.  "I love it."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek and followed her around some more of the clothing helping her pick things out.  

Luckily for Margaret he had impeccable taste for women's clothes. Everything he handed her seemed to be exactly was she was looking for. They were sexy and demure without showing too much skin and seemed to fit perfectly around her hips and bust. She knew he would have loved to see her in something a little more revealing, but she decided she'd make it up to him when they went on their honeymoon. There were just some things she wasn't ready to share with her family.   
  
That's where the trouble came in when it came to pick out bathing suits. Margaret had a nice figure and didn't want to hide it, but she didn't want anything that revealed too much. There was a huge difference between the suits she'd wear for Hawkeye and the suits she'd wear for her father.   
  
"They've got some men's suits here too." Margaret was leafing through a rack of swimming suits.  
  
"I have one already." Hawkeye was standing behind her holding the bag.  
  
"Don't you need a new one?"  
  
"Don't tell me you're embarrassed over my swim trunks now."   
  
"No, I was just wondering if you needed a new one. The other ones looked a little tight in the crotch and the butt."  
  
Hawkeye set the bag down and leaned against the rack. "So you do care."   
  
"Of course I care. The last thing I need is for you to be hanging out while were in the company of my family."  
  
"I was not hanging out." He reminded her. "I happen to think they fit just fine."

She didn't know if she wanted to tell him that she didn't want her family to see him looking like that.  "They look a little snug, honey."  She held up a pair of black trunks for him to see.  "What do you think?"

"Margaret, I don't need any."

"All you have is the one pair.  I'll buy them for you."

"It isn't the money.  You know that."

"I didn't mean it like that.  Do you like them?"

"Yeah, they're nice."

"Okay."  She held them over her arm and moved to another area.  It was time she pick out something for herself.  The reunion was being held at a rented beach house so everyone would be able to fit and have some fun at the ocean too.

Hawkeye had been going through racks of suits and had a few in his hands.  When he walked over to his fiancé she didn't have any except the swim trunks she had picked out for him.  "Look at this one," he held it up.  "You'd look so good in this."

She picked her head up and smiled.  "I can't wear that."

"Why?  You have the figure."

"I just can't.  It would barely cover my chest."

He grinned, "Exactly."

"No.  What else do you have there?"

He held up a peach colored two piece.  "Nice.  I like that one."

"Good.  What about this blue one?"

"I like that one too, but I think what I'm looking for is more of a one piece."

"You?  Last time I saw you in a one piece was at that Fourth of July picnic we had in Korea."

"So?"

"Well, why do you want to wear one now?"

"Because I just do."

"Margaret." He tried to reason with her. "There's nothing wrong with either one of these. The bottoms aren't cut too high and the tops cover everything, the only thing they'd see would be your stomach."  
  
"Honey, I'd feel better if I just went with a one piece." She took them from him and hung them on the rack.  
  
"You and I both know that if we weren't at a reunion you would have gone for something even more revealing. Both of these are tasteful and still make you look attractive." She was trying to do the same thing she had done with the dresses, look more conservative than herself.  
  
"Yes, I would have, but we're not. We're here, and my entire family will be there."  
  
"Then how about this..." He tried to reason with her. "Since I'm letting you get me a new pair of trunks, let me buy you both the one and two piece. Later on, you can decide which one you really want to wear."  
  
Margaret thought about it for a moment. She could always wear the two piece another day when it was just him. "Fine."  
  
"Good." He smiled. "Pick out which colors you like and then we'll pay."  
  
She decided on the ones she liked and paid. They left the store and continued to walk down the street. Margaret wasn't sure what else she needed, but it was nice to be with him the same.

"Margaret," Hawkeye pulled her along. "Let's go in there."

"In where?"

He pointed across the street. "Right there."

She looked at him and smiled. "Why?"

"You need new lingerie. Most of the really sexy things are ripped now."

"Gee...I wonder why." He smiled and pulled her across the street. He would be happier in there than a kid in a candy store. She did need new lingerie and he was the sole cause of that. She didn't know how many times he would rip and tear her things because he couldn't wait to pull them off of her. "Wait," Margaret said before they went in.

"What?"

"Are you going to behave yourself in there?"

"I always do."

"No you don't."

"I promise to behave," he crossed his hand over his heart. 

She couldn't tell if he would or not, but her bet would be that he wouldn't be able to keep his promise. She would go in with him anyway. He always made things more fun, but this was their first time in a store like that together.

Hawkeye opened the door for her and followed her inside. This was probably the happiest he had been the entire trip. Margaret could see that familiar grin starting to form, she wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing.  
  
"I can think of a couple things you need." He said as he started to look around. If she would have let him, he'd stay in there all day.   
  
"I'm sure you can."  
  
"Now these are sexy." He held up a pair of black laced underwear. Margaret gave him a sideways grin and folded her arms. "But red is really nice too..." He started to sift through the racks.   
  
"I do need other things besides lacey panties." She reminded him.  
  
"Hmm..." He was lost in all the colors and styles. "Oh, right." He looked at her. Then with a broader smiled he added. "You also need bras, and maybe something fun for later."  
  
"Do you even know my cup size?" She was curious if he really paid attention to that stuff.  
  
"What do you think?" A mischievous look on his face told her he did.  
  
"Well good." She told him. "You spend enough time trying to figure how to get me out of them."  
  
"I haven't heard any complaints so far."

She smiled knowing he was right. Since he was so happy she decided he could pick some things out for her. It was the least she could do. He had put up with a lot today from her and her family. "Okay. I'll let you pick out some things."

His blue eyes sparkled. "Anything I want?"

"Yes, but you don't get to tell me when I wear them."

"Ah, that would be so fun."

"That's just what I need. My parents and the rest of my family to see me the way you want to see me."

He held up a pair of leopard printed bikini panties that tied at the side. "We'll need these, oh, and these..." He picked the pair of red lace panties he had been admiring.

"Are you getting the right size?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"I do most of the laundry at home. I think I know what size you wear."

"Okay. I'm going to go look for some things too." She left him and walked away to look at some more useful everyday things that she could wear. She still had to go to work and she couldn't wear the things that he picked out everyday. 

Ten minutes later Hawkeye found her and she was a little surprised to see that he had already checked out and had a pretty good sized bag. She thought they would pay for everything together and besides the two things she had seen in his hands she had no idea what he had bought. 

He gave her a kiss, "I'll wait for you outside. Do you need some money?"

"No. I've got it. What do you have in that bag?"

"I'll show you later."

Margaret found herself feeling a little nervous as she watched him walk away. The bag was very big and knowing him he had probably bought the most extravagant lingerie there. She didn't mind wearing if for Hawkeye, but if someone from her family ever found out, especially her father, there'd be no way to talk herself out of it.   
  
Margaret paid for her items and met him outside like he'd said. Hawkeye had been leaning against the wall, holding the bag close to him as he watched the few people walk by. "You didn't see my mother did you?" Margaret asked as she approached him.  
  
"No, but it crossed my mind once or twice." He told her as he stood up and took her hand. Together they began walking in the opposite direction.  
  
"Is there anything else you need?" She asked him as they walked by several men's stores.  
  
"Apart from the complete wardrobe you just bought me?"  
  
"I've noticed some of your socks have holes in them, do you want a few more pairs."  
  
"No."  
  
"What about underwear? A few of them are starting to look a little dingy."

"They're fine, honey," he insisted.

"No. We're buying you some new ones. Let's go." She wouldn't take no for an answer so he gave in and they walked along until they came to another men's store. "Here," she pulled him in.

"I hate shopping for underwear."

"Well, you seemed to like it in the other store."

He grinned. "That was different."

"No it wasn't." How hard was it to buy boxers? He knew his size. All he had to do was pick some out.

"Your underwear is a lot sexier than mine." He told her as they walked to the underwear section. "There's so much more of a selection."  
  
"I'd hate to see you in something lacey." She laughed. "I think you look plenty sexy in boxers." Hawkeye grinned at that. "But if you want something different..."  
  
"I'm not wearing lace." He said sternly.   
  
"No." She waved her hand. "I meant a different style." She pulled him in a row of men's underwear. "Do you want something tighter?"  
  
"It's up to you." He didn't want to be shopping for himself.  
  
"You have to have some say, you're going to be the one wearing them after all." They started to walk down the line.  
  
"Well, I got to pick out yours." He could have cared less. "Pick out mine."  
  
"And what if I get you something you don't like?" She looked at him. Hawkeye shrugged his shoulders in mild response.  
  
"It's just underwear." Was his comment.  
  
"Fine then." She started looking at the packages. "What about...these?" She held up a package of tighty whities.  
  
"No!" His eyes widened, he didn't like those at all. "Anything but those." He protested.  
  
Margaret grinned and put them back. "So it does matter."  
  
"You can get anything but those." He told her.

"You're no fun!"

"I will be later tonight when you model all of this for me," he nodded to the bag in his hand.

She rolled her eyes and picked up some boxer-briefs.  "What about these?"

"I don't know.  Never tried them."

"Good, we'll get these then."

"Fine."

He didn't seem to care what she picked up.  She grabbed a couple of pairs of boxers in different colors and patterns.  "All done I guess.  Was there anything else you wanted in here?"

"Not unless you want something."

"In a men's store?"

"I'll take that as a no."  

"No.  We'll pay and then can we get something to drink.  Its hot as hell here."

"Yeah," he chuckled.  He grabbed the underwear from her and handed her all the bags he had except the lingerie bag he was carrying and went to the cash register.  

When he came back he took another bag from her and then grabbed her hand as they walked out of the store. "So are we finally done shopping? You've bought everything except a kitchen sink."  
  
"I can't think of anything else..." She tried to remember if there was something she was forgetting.   
  
"Thank goodness." He played a phony sigh of relief.  
  
Margaret wrapped and arm around his waist and leaned into him as they walked. "Now let's get some food, I'm so starved. I hardly ate at all during lunch."  
  
"Me neither, I can't eat when I'm upset." He smiled.   
  
Margaret looked up at him. "You," she poked him in the stomach. "Are a bottomless pit, and I'm terribly jealous that you can everything and anything and still look so damn good."  
  
Hawkeye lifted the bag in his hand and shook it. "I didn't buy all this lingerie just to admire you know."

"Yeah, but I have to work to look like this.  You don't."

"Yes I do.  I go running everyday, you know that."

"Yeah, but you love that.  Its not like you're doing it because you have to, to stay in shape."

"I'm thirty years old now.  I have to work to stay in shape.  If not all I would do is stay at home eating bon-bons waiting for you to get home from work."

She laughed at him and moved closer to him.  She was almost glued to him as they walked down the street together.  "Maybe one day we can trade."

"You know we will," he kissed the side of her head.  "Just as soon as the army is out of the picture things will change for the better."

"Hopefully."

"Why wouldn't they?"

"I don't know.  I don't know what life will be like."

"It'll be better, trust me."

"I'm sure you're right," she smiled.  "Let's go there," she pointed to a café down the street.

"Okay."

They walked together the rest of the way in silence holding one another.  Hawkeye got them a table outside in the corner.  He took the bags from her and pulled out her chair before he sat down.  Looking across the table at her all he did was smile.  He kept thinking about her modeling the things he bought.  She was too busy looking at the menu to notice him until his hand found its way to her knee.  She didn't think anything of it and continued looking at the menu.  She slapped his hand as she felt it move further up her leg.

"What are you doing?  We're outside in public."

He grinned.  "I know, isn't it exciting?"

"No!"  She moved his hand back to the table.  She looked around to make sure that no one saw them.  "What would people think?"  He had scooted his chair closer to her.

"Who cares what they think?  Let them get their own."

"Hawkeye..." She gritted her teeth as she peered around the cafe.  
  
"I can't help it." He whined. "I've been undressing you with my eyes ever since we sat down to eat."  
  
Margaret shot him a look. She tried not to look amused but she just couldn't help it. "Keep your voice down." She whispered.  
  
He let his foot travel up the back of her leg. "If it wasn't such a nice day I would have suggested that we eat inside."  
  
"Mmm..." She glanced at him. "I'm sure we wouldn't have done much eating."  
  
"It's a good thing it's not raining then isn't it?" He smiled as he slipped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.   
  
The waitress came and delivered their food. They had both gotten sandwiches, Hawkeye with turkey and Margaret with Ham. He got a salad with ranch dressing and she got one with Italian.   
  
"Mmm...this is good." Margaret said as she took a bite of her sandwich. She held it out and let him take a bite.  
  
"That is good." He licked some mayonnaise of his lip. "Here." He held out his and let her take a bite.  
  
"That's really good too." He had some sort of spicy sauce on his. She took another bite.  
  
"Hey!" He laughed. There was only a little portion left. Margaret giggled and handed over the rest of hers.

"Sorry."

"You can have it," he smiled.

"No, you take."

"Oh, alright."  He took it and started to eat it.  "Mine was better."

"Yes it was.  It sure didn't take much convincing for you to take mine."

"You said I was a bottomless pit.  You knew that when you offered your sandwich to me.  We could order more if you want."

"No," she smiled and leaned in to whisper in his ear.  "I have other plans.  I don't want to be full of food.  I'd rather be full of something else if you get my drift."

Hawkeye's eyes widened in excitement and then a huge grin spread across his face.  "You have been around me way too long."

She laughed.  "I don't know if that's good or bad."

"Well, I'm finished here."  He said popping the last bite of sandwich into his mouth.  "Check please," he said to the waitress as she passed by.

"Sure thing."

"Back to the hotel?"  He questioned.  
  


"Yeah.  I don't want to do anymore shopping and I'm sick of carrying these bags around all afternoon."

"I'll get all of them.  You just carry your purse."

The waitress brought the check and Hawkeye paid, he picked up the bags and walked with her back to the hotel. He wished he hadn't had his hands full; he would have loved to have put his arms around her as they walked. However, it was a nice evening and walking beside one another was so much better than being stuck with the Houlihans.  
  
Hawkeye could hardly wait to get back to the room. He had a whole bag of lingerie that he was dying to see her in. They had been teasing one another all afternoon and he was dying to get her alone.   
  
They were waiting for the elevator when Margaret realized something was wrong. "Uh oh..." She murmured as she rummaged through her purse.  
  
"What?" He turned his head and looked at her in alarm. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I can't find the key." Margaret started checking her pockets when she couldn't find it in her purse.  
  
Hawkeye patted himself down. "I don't have it."  
  
"I must have lost it." She sighed heavily. "Damn it."  
  
"Do you have any idea where you might have lost it?"  
  
"No, none." Margaret was tired and just wanted to go up to their room. She had been looking forward to being wrapped in his arms all day. "Uhhh!"  
  
"Shh." Hawkeye walked over to her and hugged her. "It's no big deal. We'll just tell them what happened and they'll get us another one. This kind of thing happens all the time."

"Yeah, you're right." She picked up some bags and followed him over to the desk. He explained the situation to the clerk and they took care of it. They were going to have to wait for a key to be made so the woman told them to sit down in the lobby and make themselves comfortable.

Margaret sat with her shoulders slumped. Hawkeye wrapped an arm around her. "What's the matter?"

"I can't believe I lost the key. That stuff never happens to me."

"You were trying clothes on today. I'm sure it just fell out somewhere and you didn't realize it."

"Yeah, but now we have to sit here and wait." She was getting frustrated and those emotions were beginning to take a turn. "I'm so sorry," she said sadly.

"Margaret, it's not your fault," he smiled. She was taking this way too hard.

"Yes it is," she was almost in tears.

Hawkeye knew that the day's events must have been getting to her now that she was tired. It was getting later in the day and the next day didn't look so far away anymore. He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "What's really bothering you?"

"I don't know," she said in almost a whine.

She sounded so helpless and he didn't like that. "Honey, its not a big deal. Nothing to get so upset about."

"Yeah, but I wanted to be back in the room with you."

"We're still together, and look, I have my arm around and we can still do this." He gave her a tender kiss on the lips causing her to smile. "See, its not so bad."

"Yeah, I know."

He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "When we get up there we can take a nice bubble bath together."

Margaret smiled and melted into him. "That sounds really nice." She said just loud enough for him to hear.  
  
"And I can give you a massage..." Margaret was starting to relax a little more. She closed her eyes as she listened to his voice. "Think about it...you, me, a tub of hot water, maybe some wine..."  
  
"Mmmm..." She breathed deeply.  
  
"And then you can try on that lingerie..." Margaret felt him move closer to her. She could feel his hot breath on her neck. "And then..." He started to whisper in her ear.  
  
Margaret laughed softly as she threaded a hand through his hair. If they hadn't been in the middle of the lobby they probably wouldn't have been sitting upright any more. Her muscles felt tight and she wanted to feel him against her.   
  
"Hawkeye..." He could hear the strain in her voice. She wanted to go upstairs now.  
  
Hawkeye wrapped his arms tighter around her. "Not too much longer now." He knew she was feeling stressed and was overly tired. She had spent the entire night before tossing and turning. Neither of them had gotten much sleep. "And tomorrow." He told her. "We can sleep in until noon."   
  
"Eleven Thirty...you take long showers." She murmured.  
  
"That's only because I've got something else occupying my washing time." He whispered as he softly kissed her neck.

She leaned into him more trying to get closer. All she wanted to do was go back to the room and have him hold her. What would have been better would have to been at home and not have to worry about her family and what the next day would bring. That however, was not a choice and she had to take what she could get. 

He nuzzled her neck and kissed the underside of her chin feeling her finally relax a little. "Mmmm," she moaned quietly.

"How much longer til that key is done?"

"I don't know," she sighed. She laid her head against his shoulder to get him to stop kissing her. His kisses made her so weak and she could never stop him once he reached a certain point. She placed her hand on top of his leg and leaned completely against him. 

"I'll take care of you this week," he said softly. "As soon as we walk through the door to our room you don't have to be strong anymore. You can let me handle all the worries and stress."

"Thank you."

The two of them sat like that for a little while longer with their arms wrapped around each other. Margaret wanted nothing more than to go upstairs and lay with him in bed while he was trying to figure out how to get back to the warmth of her neck.   
  
"It should be done soon." He said softly into her hair. They were both feeling a little sleepy sitting there. It was starting to get late and they had had a long day.   
  
"I hope so." She buried her face in his chest. "I'm tired, I'm sore, I'm dirty, and all I want to do is go upstairs."  
  
Hawkeye sat up which caused her to sit up as well. "Here, turn around." He pulled her closer so she was sitting more in front of him. His hands moved to her neck and shoulders as he started to massage them gently.   
  
"Ohh..." She moaned very softly. He had wonderful hands. "I've got a huge knot right there." Hawkeye started to work at the knot with the palm of his hand.  
  
"How's that?" He wasn't sure if she'd fallen asleep. She hadn't made a noise in a few minutes.  
  
"Wonderful." He heard her mutter.  
  
Margaret closed her eyes as his hands continued to work on her tense muscles. She wanted to fall asleep and groan loudly all at the same time. When he started to place light kisses on the back of her neck she didn't stop him, there was no one in the lobby and she was too tired to give a damn.

Hawkeye worked on her neck and shoulders some more.  She could have fallen asleep and almost did.  His hands were wonderful and he could not only feel, but sense where her tense spots were.  When she was relaxed she leaned back against his chest with her legs resting on the couch.  He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck forcing her to turn it to one side.  

"I'll run the bath water for you," he said softly.

"You have to take a bath with me," she mumbled.

"I will.  Then we'll go to bed and I'll hold you."

"Yes."

"Do you think you'll be able to sleep tonight?"

"I hope so."  She closed her eyes smiling as he kissed her neck over and over.  

She was as close to heaven as she could get without being alone with him.  She didn't think anything could go wrong now.  All they would have to do is make it through the night together and get up and get ready for the next day's events.  It seemed easy enough.  That was until she heard and all too familiar voice call her name.  "Margaret Elizabeth Houlihan!"

Her eyes popped open and she jumped to her feet.  Standing in front of her was her father looking as angry as ever, accompanied by his more conservative brother.  That was all she needed.  She and Hawkeye were so close to being able to go to their room and forget all about the days earlier events and now they had to deal with this.  Why did her family have to be like that?  Why couldn't they be happy that she was happy?

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	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Margaret had never talked much about her family in Korea. She'd always been reluctant to share with others what kind of people they really were. In the eyes of the Army they were the ideal family, but in reality they were just embarrassing and judgmental. There were times when Margaret really hated them, the anguish and self deprivation was just too much for her to handle. This was one of those times.  
  
The experience with her father in the lobby had been anything short of uneventful. Between the ever apparent rage on her father's face and the collective yet solid demeanor of her uncle, she found herself being overwhelmed. Alvin had been furious when he saw them sitting on the couch in the fashion they were in. To him it was despicable and disgraceful to see a man and woman behaving in such a manner.   
  
Margaret wasn't exactly sure how they managed to escape, or without being found out for that manner. She had been too scared to move once he started his rampage. However it happened though she didn't care, she was eternally grateful to Hawkeye for pulling her out of it when he did.

It didn't matter how they got back to the hotel room; just as long as they were back. The day had gone so well once they left her sister's house, and then that had to happen. The only purpose it served was make Margaret more tense and fray her nerves. There was no way she was going to turn on Hawkeye again, and she new that for the next few days she was going to have defend the two of them and their relationship. But what was there to say? They were in love and they were getting married whether or not a single person showed up to the wedding. Margaret was seriously rethinking who she was going to invite, if anyone at all.

When they got into the room Margaret dropped the few bags she was carrying and slumped down on the couch trying to catch her breath. Her father had caused a very unwanted and uncalled for scene. She and Hawkeye weren't doing anything wrong. They were sitting on the couch cuddling waiting for a key. As much as she tried, she couldn't find a damn thing wrong with it.

Hawkeye put all the bags he was carrying by the door. He walked behind the couch and put his arms around her neck and shoulders. "Don't let it bother it you," he said in a soft even tone. She just sighed and hung her head low. He made her pick up her chin. "Never let anyone make you feel this way. You're stronger than that."

"They just make me so...so...I don't know what."

He kissed her chin gently and then her cheek. "I told you I was here to protect you. Didn't I get us out of that?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"And I'll save you tomorrow if you need saving." He picked up her hand and forced her to stand up bringing her to the back of the couch. He took her in his arms and held her fully for the first time that day. She tried to relax, but all those muscles had become so tense once again. "Do you still want that bath?" She nodded leaving her head to rest on him. "Do you want me to run it for us?" She nodded again. "You have to let go of me." She smiled and shook her head no. "Okay, but this will look silly if you're attached to me for the rest of our lives."

"I don't care how silly we look; I never want to let you go." She said as she hugged him tighter.   
  
Hawkeye kissed her hair. "Then how are we going to get to the bathroom?" Margaret didn't loosen her grip. "Would you like me to carry you?" She nodded slightly. Hawkeye adjusted her in his arms and then stood up. He carried her through their bedroom and then into the bathroom where he sat her down on the toilet seat.  
  
"Add some of those bath salts." She instructed him as he turned on the water. He did as she said and looked over at her.   
  
"Did you need help undressing too?" 

She smiled at him. "Just fix the bath."

"My, my, you're certainly bossy."

He turned his back and went back to running the water. She stood up quietly and wrapped her arms around him from behind. He smiled at her. She usually wasn't so cuddly, but he was really liking it. Normally it was him who wanted to cuddle and she was a little more standoffish. "We should get some wine."

"Do want to order room service or should I?"

"You."

"And what will you do?"

"I'll meet you in the tub," she smiled. 

He turned around and folded his arms around her. "What has gotten into you today?"

"I just want to be in your arms and show you how much I love you. I'm so sorry about earlier at Katie's house and then again in the lobby."

"Don't worry about it." He rubbed her back and planted a kiss on her head. 

They stood like that for a few moments just holding one another. Eventually Hawkeye moved away and went to order the wine while Margaret put up her hair and got into the tub. She had the feeling that after taking a bath with Hawkeye she would feel much better. Between the warm water, the intoxication of the wine and his hands, she was going to forget all about their bad day.   
  
By the time he walked back in to the bathroom, Margaret was leaned back against the tub with her eyes closed and only the tops of her shoulders visible. As he started to undress she sat up and scooted down so he could move in behind her. "I knew it was a good idea to get you some new underwear." She commented as she watched him undress. "Those aren't as white as they once were."  
  
Hawkeye didn't say anything as he poured out two glasses of red wine. He handed them both to Margaret as he finished removing his clothing and slipped into the warm water behind her. Once he was settled he opened his arms and Margaret moved back so she was resting against his chest. She handed up his glass as he wrapped a strong arm around her body. "Are you beginning to relax a little more?" He asked her a moment later.   
  
"Mmm hmm."  Was her only reply as she took another sip of her wine.  "I've been thinking about this for the last two hours."  
  
"Me too." He planted a kiss on her head.   
  
She let out a sigh. "Why does he have to be like that?"  
  
"Let's not think about that right now. All that matters is you and me." Hawkeye started to lightly run a finger over her side in a calming motion. She melted into him a little more at his touch.

There wasn't another person in the world that made her feel as good as he did. All he had to do was touch her and she was putty in his hands. Problems that once seemed so big were now tiny and far away. "Why can't it be just us?"

"It is just us the rest of the time. In a few more days it will back to that."

"Good. Oh, you know what we forgot?"

"No, what?" He smiled. She seemed to be loosening up.

"We forgot those gifts for my niece."

"We'll bring them with us tomorrow."

"Remind me."

"I will." He took a sip of wine and then set it off to the side so he could move his hands to her shoulders. She was still pretty tense, but was relaxing fast. "How's this feel?"

"Wonderful," she sighed. She bowed her head to allow him full access to her neck and shoulders. She hadn't been that tense since she was in Korea. It would have been nice if they were together then so he could have massaged her. She let out a few groans as he worked the knots out of her. When he felt her really begin to relax he took her wine glass from her and set it next to his so she wouldn't drop it. After a few minutes she felt herself begin to drift and told him to stop. "That's enough."

"You sure?" She nodded and leaned back against him rested her head on his left shoulder. "I can do more."

"I'm fine," she smiled.

"What time is it?" She asked him. It had to be getting late, she was so tired.  
  
"I left my watch on the counter." He prepared to stand up.  
  
She put her hands on his chest to stop him. "No. It's not that important. I don't want you to leave."  
  
Hearing the pleading in her voice Hawkeye sank back down into the water and leaned against the back of the tub. Margaret settled back down against him as he wrapped his arms around her. "You make it seem like I'm going down the street."  
  
"I don't want to let you go." She said softly. Between the warmth of the water and the security of his arms she was beginning to feel sleepy.  
  
Hawkeye could tell she was tiring. "Do you want to get out and go to bed?"  Margaret shook her head no, she didn't want to move. Hawkeye stayed in there with her for a few more minutes just to please her. She didn't ask for much when it came to things like that so he knew that when she did she really needed to be with him. He felt her relax entirely against him and that's when he knew she was asleep. "Margaret," he whispered. "Come on, time to get in bed."

She nodded without opening her eyes and waited for him to get out. He wrapped a robe around himself and then helped her out wrapping a robe around her too. He led her to the bed where it had already been turned down and then covered her up once she was in there. She closed her eyes and went right back to sleep. Hawkeye joined her once he cleaned up the mess in the bathroom and shut all the lights off in the suite. When he lay down in bed he held her and went to sleep himself.

It had been a rough day for both of them, but more so for Margaret. It was her family that she had to deal with. They were the ones on the path to rejecting her. It was the people that were supposed to love her more than anything that kept telling her what she was doing wasn't good enough. Her family, aside from her sister, were not much of a family at all. Now Hawkeye knew that and she didn't want him to leave her side at all. He had proved over and over that day that he was the one that loved her more than anything and would do anything for her. He loved her for her not for who he wanted her to be

Neither Margaret nor Hawkeye had much trouble sleeping that night. The day had been long and exhausting and no one had slept the night before. Margaret had tossed and turned, pushed and kicked, which in turn only made things worse for Hawkeye. He could handle sleeping in awkward positions, but not if her feet were in his back. Several times she had tried to knock him off the bed and once she almost succeeded.  
  
After a certain point, Margaret barely moved at all during the course of the night. She was more settled and calm than she had been the night before, yet for some strange reason she was holding Hawkeye especially tight, not that he minded. Normally she slept with her back to him, but tonight she had her face resting against his. Her arms were wrapped around him as her legs laid over top and between his. He thought this was a bit odd, but he welcomed her closeness all the more.  
  
The next morning they were wrapped around each other more so than before. There wasn't anything but the darkness that the covers provided and the warm body of the other. Somewhere in the distance the sound of deep breathing could be heard, but they were both too far gone. Suddenly the loud ringing of the telephone disrupted the solitude.

Hawkeye rolled over onto his back and searched in the darkness with his hand. He didn't want to open his eyes to the morning. He was hoping that the phone would stop ringing so they could both go back to sleep. Suddenly Margaret bolted up in bed and flung her body over his knocking the wind out of him when she landed on his chest. There was only one person that knew the number to the hotel room and she didn't know that Hawkeye and Margaret were staying together.

"Hello?"

"Margaret, did I wake you?"

"Yes." There was no way she could hide that. Katie could tell that her sister just woke up by the sound in her voice. "What do you want?"

"What time will you be there?"

"At one, just like I'm supposed to be. Why?"

"Just wanted to make sure that you're going to show up."

"As much as I want to go home, I can't do that. We'll be there."

"Good," Katie said. "Dad is already here at my place."

Margaret rolled her eyes. "Then I'm sure you've heard."

  
"Oh yes."

"Great."

Katie chuckled. "Well what can I say, but thank you. You've already taken all attention off of me."

"Yeah. Is that all you wanted?"

  
"Yes."

"Goodbye," Margaret said placing the phone back on the hook. She moved off of Hawkeye and laid back down. "Sometimes I hate family."

"Urrrrrr..." Was Hawkeye's only response as he put an arm around her. Margaret cuddled against him and did the same.  
  
"Why did we listen to me? I should have listened to you."  
  
"Yes..." Hawkeye agreed still very sleepily.  
  
"Dad's already at their house. He told them all about last night." She didn't feel as tired as she once had.  
  
"Wonderful..." He mumbled against her skin. Hawkeye had moved so his head was resting on her chest.  
  
"We're never going to hear the end of it." She shook her head. "Nope, never."  
  
"Ugggg..." He groaned.  
  
"And I bet he's going to tell everyone else too..." She rambled on.  
  
"Margaret." Hawkeye said breaking her off.  
  
"Huh?" She stopped to hear what he had to say.  
  
"Shut up."

"Oh I'm too awake to sleep." She was already worrying about going back to her sister's house. "Do you think putting it on would give it away too fast?"  
  
Hawkeye groaned, she wasn't going back to sleep. "I spent too much damn money for it just to sit and collect dust. There's a big diamond on it for a purpose."  
  
"So I should wear it..."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Even thought someone's bound to see it..."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And we're going to finally tell them..." All these questions continued to poor through her head. She knew the answers to most, she just needed to hear it from him. "Just think what they're all going to say..."  
  
"Margaret." He lifted his head and made her look at him. "There is no reason why we have to go on pretending to be something we're not. We live together, we're getting married, and hell...we're even sleeping together. We're both adults. We've known each other for the last four years and we've been dating for the last ten months. There is absolutely no reason to feel ashamed. You are a grown woman. A woman who is too old and too responsible to be treated like a ten year old."  
  
Margaret knew he was right. He had been right about the whole thing. She gave him a loving smile and pulled him closer for a kiss. "You're right."  
  
He nodded his head. "Thank you." Hawkeye then rolled over and covered himself with the blanket completely. From beneath the covers she could hear him muttering. "What the hell do they think you are? Celibate or something? You've been married before for Christ's sake."  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes and grinned. "Besides, how can I possibly keep my hands to myself when I have such a gorgeous man at my beck and call?" She reached under the covers and through his arms to touch his chest.  
  
"Ahh!" He jumped. "You have cold hands!" He tried to push them away but she fought him back.  
  
"I know, I needed something to warm them up." She moved them lower to his stomach.  
  
"Margaret!" He whined.  
  
"Would you care for me to go lower?"  
  
"NO!" He protested as he grabbed hold of her hands and held them still.

"What's the matter?"

"Margaret, stop please." He brought her hands up to his face and kissed them. "Now go back to sleep." 

"I can't." She pulled her hands away. "You go back to sleep."

"Stay here with me."

"No." She gave him a kiss and then moved out of the bed. "I have some things I need to do." Once she was awake in the morning she could never fall back to sleep. Hawkeye on the other could fall asleep any time day or night.

Margaret got out of bed and walked over to the dresser. She opened a little black box that contained her engagement ring. It was a gorgeous ring without a single flaw and she felt naked without it. She placed it back on her finger and smiled. That ring belonged there and in an odd way it made her feel better about herself. She was ready to face her family, sort of. A small part of her wanted to run away so she didn't have to face them, but the larger part wanted to show them all that she was happy and more than capable of taking care of herself. 

Looking back at the bed she saw that Hawkeye was already back to sleep. It was too early to get ready to go. It was only eight in the morning so she went out to the living area and turned the TV on. Laying down staring at the screen caused her to close her eyes and fall back to sleep.

"You can't sleep with your fiancé but you can sleep with the TV on." It was two hours later and Hawkeye was standing over her looking down. The rumbling of his deep voice awakened her and caused her to look up at the questioning expression on his face. "You just came out here and fell asleep didn't you?" He didn't sound like he was angry.  
  
Margaret looked him over; he was only wearing a pair of boxers and a robe. It mustn't have been that late. "I hadn't meant to fall asleep." She told him as she rubbed her eyes.  
  
"Mmm hmm..." He pretended not to believe her.   
  
Margaret smiled. "You know I love sleeping with you." She said with a yawn.  
  
Hawkeye glanced at her. "So your relationship with me is just physical." He pretended to be hurt. "That coy last night was just to get into my pants." He looked down. "Although I'm not wearing pants."  
  
Margaret threw one of the couch pillows at him. He could be so weird. "What time is it?"  
  
Hawkeye playfully narrowed his eyes, she was changing the subject. "It's a little after ten."  
  
"We have to be there in three hours." She relaxed a little more on the couch. "And I want to leave early enough so we're not late."  
  
"Well." A smile spread across his face. He walked over to the couch and sat down beside her. "I do have a few ideas of what we could do with all that spare time." He leaned down and dropped a kiss on her neck.

"I'm sure you do," she grinned. "You always have the same idea."

"No I don't." He picked up her left hand. "Nice to see this again." She smiled and leaned into him. "I like this a lot better than that empty finger I was looking at yesterday."

"Me too," she admired her ring. She loved it. Every time she looked at it she felt like a queen, but that was because Hawkeye treated her that way.

"You gonna be okay today?"

"As long as you're there by my side."

"Forever," he gave her a soft loving kiss on the lips.  "Let's go to bed." He grinned widely and stood up. Before she got a chance to get up he scooped her up and carried into the bedroom. 

"I love it when you do that." She smiled as he whisked her over to the bed where he then laid her down.  
  
"Just wait until I'm through, then you can praise me." He told her with a half cocked grin as he sat down beside her.   
  
"Oh, you think you're that good do you?"  
  
"I haven't heard any complaints yet." He told her as his hands moved to untie the sash on her robe.   
  
Margaret started to laugh but was quickly silenced by his lips. Her robe finally slid open, allowing him to see and touch her fully. As he moved more of his body onto hers she eased his robe away and let it fall to the ground. "If I hear one giggle..." She warned as his mouth moved to her neck. He didn't say anything but only continued to kiss her neck.  
  
Suddenly he pulled away. "Wait." He sat up quickly. Hawkeye climbed off her and moved to the edge of the bed where the phone was. With a quick tug he unplugged the cord. "No more calls from your sister." Was his comment as he moved back to her.  She chuckled lightly. "Hey, you said no giggling."

"That was your rule."

He kissed her on the neck a few times. "Do I get to make rules for you?"

"No." She placed her hands on either side of his face and pulled him to her lips. "I love you," she whispered huskily.

"I love you." His hand brushed down the side of her face locking his eyes with hers. It was like she could feel what he was feeling at that moment. The only two people that existed in the world were the two of them. Slowly he moved his lips back to hers and she moved her hands to the back of his head. 

They kissed for what seemed like hours before either made a move to do anything else. Hawkeye knew how sensual she found kissing and loved to make her feel good. He was a caring and giving lover and she couldn't have asked for anything more. He knew her inside and out and knew what she needed and when. That wasn't just in the bedroom, but every aspect of their lives. 

Hawkeye had the ability to raise Margaret to places that no other person could. When she was with him nothing else mattered. Her mind was clear and open and the only thing she could hear was the sound of their hearts as they beat in unison.   
  
Margaret didn't want to leave the sanctity of his arms as they lay in the middle of that huge bed. Getting out meant being one step closer to seeing her family, something that she wanted to put off for as long as possible.  
  
"It's almost eleven." He said softly as he looked at the clock. Being the gentle and passionate man that he was, he had taken his time making love to her. He knew that was one of her favorite things and it relaxed her completely.  
  
Margaret buried her face in his chest. "I don't want to get up."  
  
Hawkeye thought that was ironic, it was like they had switched places. "Come on." He moved out of her grasp and stood up.   
  
"No..."  
  
Hawkeye grabbed her hands and pulled her to the side of the bed so he could pick her up. "You'll feel better after we take a shower."  
  
"We?" She asked as he carried her into the bathroom. "You know when that happens twenty minute showers turn into two hour showers."  
  
"Nothing more than one hour, I promise."

She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder.  She was really getting used to being taken care of and was loving it.  He sat her down on the bathroom counter and started the water in the shower.  She watched him get it to the right temperature and then walk back over to her.  He stood between her legs and wrapped his arms around her kissing her.  Then he picked her up, her legs wrapped around him, and brought her to the shower.

"You know something," he said closing the door behind him.  "You confuse the hell out of me."

"What do you mean?"

He handed her the shampoo that she had pointed to.  "You dragged me to this reunion kicking and screaming and now you don't want to go.  You jumped out of bed and then you didn't want to get out of bed just a few hours later.  You're not going to turn and run away from me at the alter are you?"

"No," she smiled and kissed him.  "You are my rock."

"Good," he took her into his arms and removed the shampoo bottle letting it fall to the ground.  "And make sure you keep that rock on your finger today too.  I don't want you to ever take it off again."

  
"I won't, I promise."

"Maybe if we have kids or something and your fingers swell, but that's it.  No other reason will work."

"Okay."

"I'm serious," he warned.  It had taken a lot of convincing on her part for him to agree that she would take the ring off until her family knew.  He hated the whole idea from the beginning, but he went along with it anyway.

"Okay."

He made her looked up at him.  "I mean it.  That ring better stay there."

"It will."  She smiled and kissed him.  "You don't have to worry about that."

His hand moved down her arm to her hand where he started to play with her ring making sure it was there and real.  "I'm not at all embarrassed by our love.  I don't want you to be either."

She looked into his hurt eyes and moved her hands to the sides of his face.  "Oh, honey, I'm not embarrassed.  My family…well they just scare me."

"By the time this reunion is over," he gave her a debonair look. "They're all going to be scared of me."  
  
Margaret laughed at the expression on his face and concealed her laughter by pressing her lips against his shoulder. "No one's going to come to our wedding."  
  
"We'll hog tie and gag your parents, that way they won't be able to squeal and run away. Or better yet, object."  He pretended to start thinking about how to do that. "I know a man in Jersey who would be more than happy to help...Tony the Wrench we called him."  
  
"Oh you do not!" He had such a wild imagination. "Tony the Wrench...your plumber I'm guessing."  
  
"My cousin's beautician."   
  
Margaret laughed even more at that. "You are something Benjamin Pierce."  
  
Hawkeye kissed her quickly. "Ah, but I'm all man." He let go of her with one hand and flexed his bicep.   
  
"That's right." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "You're my man."

He smiled and pulled her as close as he could.  "And you're mine."

"All yours," she said against his lips.  "No one else's."

"Never."  He pushed back her wet strands of hair so he could see her face and kissed her. 

The shower ended up be a lot longer than twenty minutes.  They couldn't keep their hands off of each other and for that reason Margaret never allowed him to shower with her on the mornings she had to work.  Its not like it was that big of a deal anyway because he would never get up that early unless she made him.  He was not a morning person at all.

Hawkeye was sitting on the edge of the bed watching Margaret sift through the bags looking for certain things.  He had agreed that she would pick out his clothes.  Even he knew that he didn't dress that well.  All that he cared about was comfort when it came to himself.  When it came to Margaret, he just liked things that showed off her body.

"Here," she threw him a pair of new boxers.

"Not these," he threw them back at her.

"Why?"

"Cause they're brand new.  I need them washed first."

"What?  That's crazy.  They're just boxers."  She threw them back at him.

"I'll get chaffed and you wouldn't want that."

"You'll chaff?" She looked at him.  
  
"Yes. And then we won't be able to do what you so clearly enjoyed earlier." He patted the bed in remembrance of their love making.  
  
Margaret smiled as she remembered. "Fine." She picked up another package. "What about the boxer briefs? You can't chaff with those."  
  
"I don't know..." He'd never tried those before.  
  
"Come on." She opened the package and threw a pair at him. Hawkeye caught them and looked at them in his hands. "Put them on."  
  
"Fine, I'll try." He stood up, leaving the towel on the bed. Once he had them on he looked at Margaret.   
  
She had a silly grin on her face as she looked him over. "I think they look sexy."  
  
"Ah..." He looked down at himself. "I don't know. I feel funny."  
  
"You're not used to them, that's all." She continued to dress.  
  
"But everything's well...squished."

"Yes, but they look good.  You can wear them for one day and try them out.  What harm will it do?"

"None I guess."  He looked at himself in the mirror for a moment.  "I do look pretty sexy, don't I?"

She chuckled slightly.  "Yes you do.  You don't lack of self confidence at all."

"Why should I?"  He turned around so she could see all of him.  "Look at me."

"Oh brother," she rolled her eyes.

"You should have the confidence I have and then you wouldn't be so afraid of your family."

"Yes, I know."

He looked around the room.  "So…where are my pants?"

"I need to iron them before you put them on.  Can you find the iron for me?  The maid left it by the door I believe."

"Yep.  What are you wearing?  Hopefully something nice.  I don't want to see you in another old woman's dress as long as I live."

"What about when I'm old?" She asked him as she put on her earrings.  
  
Hawkeye found the iron and brought it back into the room. "You're going to be the sexiest grandmother in town. I won't let you wear anything different from what you're wearing now."  
  
"I hope you feel that way in thirty years."  
  
"Baby, I'll feel that way in sixty years." He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Margaret shivered when he planted a kiss on the back of her neck.  
  
Margaret laughed as he stood behind her, his hips pressed against her back. "Maybe it is a good thing you're wearing those, we don't need to give anyone else a show."  
  
Hawkeye grinned. "Wouldn't they just love that?"  
  
"What an even greater way to prove we're sleeping together."   
  
"Speaking of which, are we going to tell them that we're living together as well?" He let go of her and moved to find his socks.  
  
"No!" She said sternly. "Engagement is one thing, but living together is another."  
  
"Just checking."

"Are you crazy?  You saw how my father was last night."

"I know."  

She plugged the iron in and turned it on to get ready to iron his pants and her dress.  "He'd kill you and disown me if he ever found out."

"Speaking of your father.  Are you going to tell him that you don't want his help in getting transferred?  You won't even be with the army that much longer."

"I'll tell him."

He had found a clean pair of socks and sat down on the bed to put them on.  "Why don't you tell him you're leaving the army too?  He's going to find out sooner or later.  Even if you tell him not to help you get a transfer you know he'll do it, and he'll find out that you're leaving."

"I know, Hawkeye.  I know all of this."

"Good!  Don't let them walk all over you today."

"I won't."  Margaret walked over to the dresser and grabbed a pair of khaki pants for him.  "I have a renewed sense of self today.  Today I will be myself."

"I'm holding you to that.  What shirt am I wearing?"

She pointed to the dresser where she had just grabbed a pair of pants.  "The blue collared one."

"I'm serious though."

"I know Hawkeye.  I know.  Now stop treating me like a child."

"I'm not treating you like a child, I just don't want a repeat of yesterday to happen. The moment either one of them says something to you, you shut down."  
  
Margaret sighed. "I'm telling them today aren't I?"  
  
"Yes, but that still doesn't mean you won't become timid and shy like you did yesterday. I saw the way you tried to hide when either one of them started on their rampage."  
  
She turned to look at him. "Honey, we talked about this. Today is going to be entirely different. I'm not alone this time, we're in this together."  
  
"That's right. You don't have to fight it alone any more." He stood up and walked over to her. She had finished with his pants. "I'm not here just to look pretty, I'm here for you." He rubbed her arms. "I would do anything for you."  
  
"I know." She gave him a soft kiss. "I'm just working myself up again."  
  
"Well don't.  Just leave all your worries to me."  He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.

She smiled.  "I'll try to do that."

He grabbed his pants from her and slipped them on.  "What are you wearing?"

"What do you think I should I wear?"

"The pink dress you bought yesterday."

"You don't think that's too much?"

"Margaret," he threw the dress over to her.  "You look gorgeous in that dress.  So it shows a little cleavage.  They know you have it.  And it shows a lot of back, but they know you have that too."

"You're right."  She was feeling pretty good now.  "I will wear it."  She started to iron the dress.  

"Good," he smiled proudly.  "Oh, one more thing.  It makes your ass look really good."

She blushed slightly.  "I guess they'll be in for a little shock."

"Good.  They need it.  Walk in there with your head held high showing off that ring."

"That'll cause a stir.  Maybe we should walk in there kissing with our hands all over each other.  That might go over better."

"That works for me," he grinned.  

"I'm sure it would."

Hawkeye tucked his shirt in and looked in the mirror at himself.  "You're marrying one good looking man."  She just rolled her eyes.  "Really, look at me.  How could you not love me?"

"You're so full of yourself."

"I have to make up for your lack of self confidence.  I don't know what the hell happened to you."

"Stop it or I'm not talking to you anymore."

Hawkeye realized then that he was beginning to get a little carried away. "I'm sorry.  You know I didn't mean that."   
  
Margaret looked at him; he had a sincere look on his face. She could tell he didn't mean it. "I know." She said softly.   
  
He walked over to her and enveloped her in a hug. "I guess I'm just a little anxious."  
  
"You anxious?" She teased as she pulled away. "Impossible...Mr. Smooth?"  
  
"Is it so wrong for a man to be worried about his woman?"  
  
"It is when you almost nag me to death about it." Margaret turned her back to him and slipped on her dress. As soon as she had it on, his arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her to him.  
  
"I'm sorry." He said in a playful tone. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He started placing teasing kissed all over the back of her neck.  
  
Margaret tired to fight him off, but when she did that he only fought back harder and tougher. "Hawkeye." She whined, he was going to mess up her hair and if he kept it up they'd both end up looking disheveled. "Uh, uh, uh." He had torturous kisses. "Please, not now..."  
  
Finally he let go and stepped back. "You're no fun."  
  
"We made love twice this morning; that should hold you." She touched up her make-up and hair.  
  
"Three times would make it a hat trick."  
  
Margaret smiled, he was incorrigible. "You can wait until tonight." She picked up her purse and took his hand as they walked downstairs. This was going to be a long day.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Margaret couldn't express how relieved she was that they didn't run into anyone as they left the hotel.  The waited outside for a few minutes for a cab to get there, but they still didn't see anyone.  Margaret didn't want anyone to see her and find out about her engagement and have the news get to her parents before she could tell them.  

Once they got into the cab she was quiet and sat so close to Hawkeye that she was almost on his lap.  He held her hands and could feel that they were clammy.  She was getting nervous already and he could just see her backing down from everything that she had been telling him earlier.  She lost all nerve and confidence when she was around her family.  He could see why, but she was stronger than them.  She didn't have to take that from them.

Hawkeye paid the cab driver and then he and Margaret got out of the cab.  He took her hand again and gave it a gentle encouraging squeeze.  "It'll be okay," he said with a smile.

"I know," she tried to say it positively, but it came out shaky.  He gave her a kiss on the cheek and they walked up to the front porch.  No one was out front, but they could hear voices in the house and out back of it.  

Hawkeye looked over at Margaret, she looked very unnerved. He took her in his arms and held her. "Everything is going to be okay." Margaret held him tight and buried her face in his chest. She took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself. "I'm right here. I promise, today I won't let you out of my sight. I won't even let you go."  
  
Margaret nodded and tried to compose herself. "I know." She gripped his hand tighter.   
  
"You okay?"  
  
"I'll be fine." She took a deep breath.   
  
"I'm here." He reminded her.  
  
"I know you are." She kissed him lightly on the lips. "Alright, I'm ready."  
  
"Just relax." He told her as they started walking across the lawn. They could hear all the people in the backyard.   
  
When they got to the edge of the house and prepared to walk into view, Margaret paused to collect herself. "Ok, I have an idea." He told her. Margaret wasn't really listening; she was too busy working herself up. He lifted her chin to make her look at him. "Whenever you feel trapped or like you're losing it, just think of something else that makes you laugh."  
  
"Something that makes me laugh?"  
  
"Yeah, think about..."

She smiled and nodded her head.  "I'll try."

"Good.  You ready now?"

She nodded her head and they started to walk around the corner.  Margaret let out an annoyed sigh when she saw that her mother immediately spotted her.  She held Hawkeye's hand even tighter dreading what her mother was going to say or do.  She already hated Hawkeye and her mother was never one to hold back her opinion.

"Margaret," she said coolly giving her a kiss on the cheek.  "Its about time you got here."

"We're on time."

Joan nodded to Hawkeye before looking at her daughter again.  "You're late dear."  Joan looked the two of them up and down trying to intimidate them and succeeding with Margaret.  That was when she spotted the ring on her daughter's left hand.  She grabbed Margaret's hand looking at the ring with fire in her eyes.  "What the hell is this?"

Margaret looked at Hawkeye nervously and he encouraged her to tell her mother with just the look in his eyes.  He wasn't going to leave her side and she would be safe.  Hopefully.  "We're engaged, Mom."

"The hell you are!  You agreed to marry that poor excuse of a man knowing I don't like him!"

"Not exactly," Hawkeye mumbled.  

Joan caught what he said and looked at her daughter.  "What does he mean?"

"Well," Margaret started, her voice shaking.  "We've been…engaged for a few months now."

Joan's eyes almost popped out of her head.  She roughly pushed her daughter's hand away and folded her arms across her chest.  Hawkeye rolled his eyes.  Now he knew where Margaret got that from.  "You didn't have the decency to tell your own mother?!"

"I was going to tell you yesterday, but then…"  She was at a loss for words.  The look on her mother's face, the tone in her voice, and her stance were making her too nervous.  She felt like a kid again.

"Yesterday?!  You are NOT marrying that boy!"

Hawkeye was about to jump in and say something, but surprisingly Margaret beat him to it.  "Yes I am, Mom.  I love him."

"You just wait until your father hears about this.  He'll fix the both of you."

As her mother walked away Margaret looked at Hawkeye and gave him a desperate look. Her mother was one thing, but her father was another. "It's okay." He said with a smile. "You were brilliant."  
  
She smiled at him and let out an exasperated breath. "I need a drink." She said rather huskily. Hawkeye laughed and moved to let her lean against him. "Oh God," she moaned as she looked past him. Hawkeye turned his head and looked at the scene behind them. Joan was ranting to anyone who would listen and creating quite a stir.  
  
"It's okay." He rubbed her shoulder. "Let her rave. She's just mad that you didn't fall this time." Margaret knew he was right. Besides her not liking Hawkeye, Joan was angry that Margaret hadn't backed down like she usually did. "I'm really proud of you, you know that?"  
  
A smile spread across her face, he was really wonderful. "You might want to reconsider that. We haven't heard from Daddy yet."  
  
"You'll be just as great then too."  
  
"God, I hope you're right."  
  
"Baby, I've met scarier people than Alvin Houlihan. Don't forget who you're with."  
  
"The fastest mouth on two continents." She grinned.  
  
"I've watched him throw a table across the room, believe me, he doesn't intimidate me."  
  
"I'm glad that goes for one of us." She looked past him again. The crowd was getting bigger. She could still hear her mother yelling. From the center of the crowd she saw her father appear as he started walking towards them. Hawkeye turned around and tightened his grip on his fiancé. He was ready to face whatever came their way.

Margaret looked at Hawkeye like she was scared to death.  Then she turned around and watched her father come their way.  She had to handle him.  It was her father and it was something she had to do.  She stepped in front of Hawkeye like she was going to try to save him.  "Hi Daddy," she said quietly.

"Margaret, you and I need to talk.  Your mother told me you're marrying that," he pointed to Hawkeye.  "Is this true?"

She nodded her head and held out her hand to show him the ring.  There was a crowd of people that had gathered to watch the show.  She looked around in the crowd for her sister.  She was the only one that could help her, or would help her, but she couldn't find her.  "We're getting married."

"Why?  What the hell are you thinking?!  He is not a good man for you.  Hell, he's not even a good man."

Hawkeye's eyes went wide and dark with anger.  Margaret knew this and stood next to him holding onto his arm.  She didn't want him to blow his top yet.  No matter what this was her family and they would be part of their lives.  "You're wrong!  Hawkeye is a good man and I love him."  She started to raise her voice to her father.  "You don't know him!  How can you judge him like that?"

"You're my daughter and what I say goes.  You will not marry that man!"  Al turned and started to walk away.  There was no way Margaret was going to talk back to him.  She never had and there wasn't any reason that she would start.

"I will marry him!"  She yelled.  "And there isn't a damn thing you can do about it!"

Alvin suddenly stopped. He didn't turn around right away, but Margaret could see how ridged he was standing. She didn't have to look at his face, she'd seen that expression one time too many. Alvin turned swiftly on his heel and looked back at the couple. His eyes were dark and wide. He looked from Margaret to Hawkeye and back to Margaret.  He turned his head slightly and cupped his ear. "Did I hear you correctly? You're going to defy a direct order?!"  
  
"We've known each other for four years and we've been dating for almost one. We're in love and we're going to get married." Margaret gulped and gripped Hawkeye's arm tighter. She couldn't believe she had just done that.  
  
"The hell you are! I said no!" Al's face began to redden even more so. "I'm putting my foot down!"  
  
Then in a very cool and collective voice Margaret said, "We're getting married and there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it."  
  
Alvin clenched his fists. "Now listen here young lady." He took a couple steps towards her, but Hawkeye pulled her back and held out his arm. Al looked at Hawkeye, his eyes were just as dark and threatening. Then looking at Margaret he said. "You and I will talk about this later." Starting something with the younger man would have been a mistake with all those people. He gave Hawkeye a quick glance and then walked away.

Margaret immediately attached herself to Hawkeye.  She had been so scared standing up to her father like that.  Never in her life had she done that.  There were so many times that she wanted to, but not once did she actually do it.  Hawkeye held her tight against his chest rubbing her back calmly.  She looked up at him with tears threatening to fall.  "You did good," he whispered.

"No."

"Yes you did.  They all know where you stand now."

She smiled.  "Yes, every person here does."

"It's a good thing, honey."

"I need that drink now."

He laughed and gave her a soft kiss.  "What would you like?  Scotch?"

"Yes."

He wrapped his arm around her and the two of them found their way to the bar.  There was a little line, but they waited in it together.  Margaret didn't want to be left alone for fear of being attacked by one of her parents.  They both knew that without Hawkeye by her side she was weak when it came to them.  They had taught her to fear nothing except the two of them, and that was still in her mind.  Hawkeye was going to break her of that if it was the last thing he did.

Once they had their drinks in their hands they walked around.  Margaret wanted to go find her sister or at least call her to see when she was going to be there.  Katie was the only other person that knew how she was feeling and how their parents could be.  Hawkeye tried to understand and he had a pretty good idea, but he didn't grow up in their house.  Soon Margaret gave up on looking for her sister and talked to one of her cousins.  They weren't as bad as the older generation, but they were still pretty judgmental.

Margaret talked with her cousin for a little longer. She caught several or her wayward glances towards Hawkeye but never said anything. Hawkeye still had a good grip on her and had no intention of letting her go. He continued to remain watchful, keeping an eye on everyone around them. They were Margaret's family, not his, and he knew how they looked at him.  
  
Finally the two cousins drifted apart and Margaret found herself alone with her fiancé. "Come on." She took him by the hand and led him into the house. Luckily for them, most people were outside so the house was pretty much empty. They walked into the den and took a seat on the small couch. Margaret sat with her back to his chest and leaned back. "Well, we did it. Can we go home now?"  
  
Hawkeye chuckled softly. "If only we could. I miss your bed."  
  
Margaret glanced around the room. "Watch what you say, someone could walk in at any moment."  
  
"So what, one more nail in the coffin won't make a difference."  
  
"Our engagement is the only thing I want anyone to find out. We don't need any unwelcome guest poking around in our bed sheets."  
  
"They'd skin me alive." He rubbed his jaw and laughed. "Only if they knew about this morning."  
  
"That's not funny." 

He laughed a little more.  "You're right.  I'm sorry."

"Ah," she sighed.  "I have a headache already."

"It's a good thing we had that little rendezvous this morning then because I know we won't be don't anything tonight."

She slapped him in the stomach.  "You better be good or I'll send you out there by yourself to be eaten by those wolves."

"For God sake, don't do that.  They'd kill me."

"I know.  I wonder where my sister is."

"I have no idea.  You were the one that talked to her this morning, not me."

Margaret leaned against him and closed her eyes.  She needed some breathing room from her family out there.  When she was out there it seemed like all eyes were on her. She knew that they had plenty of skeletons in their closests and there was no reason they should be judging her, but she didn't say anything about that.  She was better than them and wanted to keep it that way.  In a matter of days she would be back to her life and the whole gigantic mess would be a memory.  She knew that Hawkeye would laugh at it, but she didn't think she would ever find humor in all of it.

"Hawk," she said lightly.

"Yes?"

"I want to go home."

He kissed the side of her head.  "It has to get better.  We need to stick around.  You want to see your sister and your niece don't you?"

"Yes."

"If you like we can hide out until they get here."

"What I want to know is where they've been all this time. We've been here half an hour and there's been no sign of her."  
  
"Your parents were probably just driving her crazy." He stroked her hair softly, trying to calm her down.  
  
"She's worse than me. Not only is she afraid of my parents, but so is Rick."  
  
"I've noticed."  
  
Margaret reached back and patted his arm. "I'm so grateful you're not like that. I don't know what I'd have done if you weren't so strong."  
  
"It was all you back there." He told her. "I didn't do anything."  
  
"You gave me confidence, you believed in me." She picked up his hand and kissed it. "And you protected me."  
  
"Protected you?"  
  
"At the end...when you stepped up to him."  
  
Hawkeye shook his head. "That wasn't anything, it was more of an instinct than anything."

He smiled. "Okay, so I did. What did you expect me to do when he did that?"

"Honestly, I didn't expect anything, but you came through for me anyway. The only other person to ever do that for me was my sister, and look at her now. She's missing."

"Maybe you should go ask your mother. She might know where she is."

"Oh yeah," she rolled her eyes. "That's just what I want to do. Did you drink all of your martini?"

"Not yet."

She sat up straight and took it from him. "You don't mind if I have some, do you?"

"Be my guest." He watched in amazement as she downed the rest of what was in his glass. Only a few minutes ago she had finished her scotch. "Wow, you okay?"

"Fine, why?"

"Oh, no reason."

"I could use another drink though."

"Do you want to go back out there?" She shook her head no. "I could go and bring you back something."

"I don't think that's a good idea. Any one of them could easily corner you and there wouldn't be a soul around to save you."

He smiled and pulled her close kissing the side of her head. "Are we going to hide out in here all day?"

"Sounds okay to me. Maybe we should just go."

"We can't do that. We have to go out there soon."

"Soon." She looked at him and started to kiss him. "Not now."

Hawkeye let her kiss him. There was a fiery passion in her that he didn't recognize. He didn't have time to react, she wouldn't let him. All he could do was open his mouth a little more as she moved further into his arms.   
  
"Margaret..." He finally broke the kiss.  
  
"Hmm?" She was a little breathless.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine." She pushed back her hair and sat down. "I just wish we could get out of this goddamned house!"   
  
"I know sweetheart." He rubbed her back a little bit. "Soon."  
  
"I want to go home." She laid her head on his chest.  
  
"Me too. We'll just hang out for a little bit longer and then we can go back to the hotel."  
  
There was a slight knock on the door which caused them both to look up. Much to Margaret's delight Katie walked into the room. "Here you two are." She said when she saw them cuddled on the couch. "I've been looking for you, but no one seemed to know where you were."  
  
"Good."  Was Margaret's rather spiteful reply.

Katie looked at her sister oddly. "What's going on?"

"You missed all of it. Where the hell were you?"

Katie sat down on the chair placing the baby comfortably on her lap. "Janie was in the middle of her nap. We had to wait for her. What's been going on?"

Hawkeye picked up Margaret's left hand to show Katie the ring. "This," he said. "You missed the little show out there."

Katie smiled. "You're getting married? When did all of this happen?"

"A few months ago."

"What?! And you didn't tell your own sister! Why not?"

"Because I didn't want anyone to know. I didn't even want to tell Mom and Dad. You know how they are."

"Do I ever," Katie rolled her eyes. "They're a pain in my ass. Mom is driving me up the wall."

"I think I got her off your back this afternoon. At the moment I think the whole family hates me."

"Well Janie and I don't," she smiled. She stood up and handed the baby over to Margaret. "Maybe she'll get some cousins to play with one day."

Hawkeye and Margaret both smiled. That was the first time anyone ever said anything positive about their coming marriage. That was the reason Margaret wanted her sister to be there. "Maybe," Margaret said. "One day."

"Well, I'm happy for you two." Katie gave her soon to be brother-in-law a kiss. "I know you don't like the sound of this, but welcome to the family."

"Thank you." Hawkeye chuckled.

Margaret looked over at Hawkeye and smiled. "You see why I kept looking for her?"

"I see. How did you two turn out so much different than the rest?"

"We learned to be different," Margaret answered. "Someone needed to change things. I need a drink before I go back out there. I need some false courage otherwise I don't think I can face all of them again."

"I'll get you something," Katie said. "But you keep and eye on the baby for me until I come back. Hawk, would you like something?"

"Just a water." He knew Margaret was headed down the wrong path with the drinking. Someone needed to be the sober one. 

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

Hawkeye looked over at his fiancé as she played with the baby. He wasn't sure if she seemed so relaxed because of the alcohol or the way her sister took their news, but he was guessing it was the alcohol.   
  
"Will you want children one day?" Hawkeye asked, hearing what Katie had said had made him think of that day.  
  
She turned her head and looked at him. "I'd love to have children with you." A wide smile spread across her face. "Maybe once we get settled. I'd like to spend some time just relaxing and being with you."  
  
"That sounds fine to me." He leaned in and gave her a short kiss.   
  
Margaret drew him in a little more and deepened the kiss. When she let go she said, "I'm glad."  
  
As Hawkeye regained his composure Katie walked back into the room and handed Margaret her drink. She took the baby as they both watched her down that as well. "That's your last one." Hawkeye said once she was finished.  
  
"Nah, I can handle one more."  
  
Katie looked at Hawkeye, her sister was acting peculiar.  Katie smiled as she watched them. Margaret looked so at ease in his arms, something that never happened when they were in the presence of their parents. "Have you talked to many people?" She asked her sister when Margaret opened her eyes.  
  
"I talked to Elizabeth, but it was just a waste. She kept throwing nasty glances at Hawk the whole time." Sometimes she really hated her family.  
  
"And Elizabeth is the nice one." Katie said as she looked at her sister in disbelief.  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes and flipped back her hair. "That's why it's a waste to bother with anyone else." She told her. Then in a disgusted voice she added, "Bastards, all of them."  
  
Katie's eyes went wide. "Margaret!" She couldn't believe she had just said that.  
  
"What?!" As if she didn't know what she was talking about it. "They don't know a damn thing about our relationship, and yet they're making judgments."  
  
"That's just their nature."  
  
Margaret couldn't believe her ears; she was actually making excuses for them. "They don't know a goddamned thing about Hawkeye and yet they already have him pegged! They wouldn't know a decent person even if one flat out told them." She was getting angered now. "Do you see this ring?" She held up her hand. "There isn't a single woman out there was a rock nearly this big!" She was getting louder now.

"Shh," Hawkeye said. "We don't want everyone to hear you."

"What the hell do I care?!"

"Margaret," he said calmly. "We caused enough trouble with them. They're still your family and they'll be part of our lives."

"He's right," Katie said.

"To hell with all of them." Margaret dismissed what they said. "I don't care anymore."

Hawkeye knew she would later regret that. That's why he wanted to stop her. "You don't mean that."

Margaret moved out of his arms and stood to her feet. "Yes I do! Look at the way they treat us. They don't know you at all, and they only think they know me!"

Janie started to get nervous at the raised voices and let out a small cry. "Maggie, keep your voice down!"

"Sorry."

Hawkeye pulled her hand and gestured for her to sit back down. "Cool off a little. We need to go back out there. We can't hide in here forever."

"Fine!" She folded her arms across her chest.

Hawkeye and Katie exchanged another look. Neither of them were sure that was a good idea at the moment. "Do you want me to get you something?" Katie asked her sister as she juggled the baby in her arms. Janie was getting antsy.  
  
"A scotch." She said rather lowly, Margaret was still very upset.  
  
"Don't you think you've had enough? Why don't you have some coffee?" Hawkeye offered. Any more alcohol and they wouldn't be able to handle her.  
  
"It's eighty degrees outside!" She looked at him like he was crazy.   
  
"Okay...lemonade?" Katie asked.  
  
Margaret looked at Hawkeye, his eyes were pleading with her. "Fine." She said through a clenched jaw.  
  
"Okay, I'll be right back."

Hawkeye looked over at Margaret.  "She's only looking out for you."

"No she wasn't!  She stood up for them.  She just doesn't want me to embarrass her."

He put his hand under her chin and forced her to look at him.  "You know that's not true.  Your sister loves you more than any other person out there.  She knows the hell they're all putting you through."

Margaret hung her head low, but Hawkeye forced her to look up again.  She looked into his blue eyes for a moment.  "I know.  I'm so angry now.  I'm over the hurt part…"

"I don't think you are," he said before she could finish anything.  

He was right again.  He had never been right so many times.  "I really don't like them."  She was close to tears now.  "Why do they have to be so mean?"

"I don't know."  He wrapped her in a warm hug.  "I was really hoping it wouldn't be like this.  All of them ganging up on you like that."

She shook her head no against his chest.  "Its not that."  She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face.  "My own parents hate me."

He wiped her face and gave her a kiss.  "I'm sorry, baby.  Maybe they just need some time to get used to all of this."

"All of what?  All they know is that we're getting married.  They don't know half of what we do."

"And there's no need for them to know.  That's our business."

Margaret started to cry a little more and threw herself at his chest.  It was all getting to be too much.  The alcohol was bringing out different emotions and bringing her on a roller coaster ride.  All she wanted was to go home and forget about all of it.  Back to their apartment, back to their life together, back to the peace.    "Can we go?"  She cried.

"Let's give this some more time.  I'm here for you."  He pulled back and wiped her eyes.  "Dry your tears.  Your sister will be back any second."

"And then do what?" She sniffled a little bit as he wiped away some of her smudged mascara. "Go back out there?!"  
  
"I'm sure if you can handle your father then you can handle anyone, a couple of snobby cousins shouldn't be too hard to lose." He held her face in his hands. "I know Major Houlihan wouldn't have a problem telling them off."  
  
Margaret turned her head away and looked out the window. "I'm not a Houlihan, I never have been. Why would anyone want to own up to them?"  
  
Hawkeye could hear the hurt and distaste in her voice. "That's right." He guided her to look at him again. "You were meant to be a Pierce."  
  
Margaret shook her head. "Isn't that mad? They don't want me to be either."  
  
"They're jealous; it's as plain as that." He told her.  
  
Margaret smiled as she laid her head on his chest again. "I can understand that, I'd be jealous too if you were with one of them." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

Hawkeye smiled and rubber her back a little bit. "How long until you're ready to go out there? We have to go sometime."

"Wait for my sister to get back here."

"Okay."

They sat like that for a few more minutes waiting for Katie to get there. Whenever they were at these family reunions Margaret always felt safer when she and her sister were together. Having Hawkeye there gave her courage, but her sister gave her security. They had grown up together and knew what it was like. Maybe one day Hawkeye would take over that role too.

Katie walked back into the room with two drinks in hand, but no baby. Margaret sat up and took the lemonade. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. You don't look so good, Maggie."

"That's because I feel like shit." She drank her lemonade.

Hawkeye looked over at her sister. "She'll be fine. She just needs a little time to calm down."

"Good, because they're all asking for you out there."

"Great," she rolled her eyes. "I can't wait to see why."

Hawkeye held her close trying to make her feel better. "Where's Janie?"

"Oh, she's in the living room. She's playing with Kim's daughter."

"Ah," Margaret nodded. "I didn't think you'd let her out of your site. Those people are like strangers to her."

"She's okay for now. I have to go and get her before she starts to throw a fit."

Hawkeye stood up. "I'll get her. I have to run to find the restroom anyway. You stay here with Margaret." Margaret looked up at him and smiled. He bent down and gave her a kiss. "Okay with you?"

Margaret looked at her sister and nodded. "Just be careful out there. Don't let them corner you."

"I'll be okay, they probably already see me as Satanist or something and don't want to risk their chances. What person wants to go up to someone who's bite is worse than their bark?"  
  
Margaret smiled at his attempt at humor. "Shut up and get out there already."  
  
Hawkeye grinned as he walked to the door. "I'll back shortly." He told them as he disappeared from sight.  
  
Katie turned to her sister. "I really like him."  
  
"You're probably the only one besides me who does." Margaret mentioned somewhat sadly. The two sisters shared a warm hug. When they pulled away Margaret said, "I'm not worried about them ganging up on him. I'm worried about what he'd do if they did."  
  
"I take it he doesn't like being told what to do?"  
  
"Oh he doesn't really mind when I do it, but he doesn't have the patience for anyone else. He never comprehended a single order during the war."  
  
Katie gave her sister one of those looks, they both new what it meant.  "The exact opposite of dad."  
  
Margaret sighed. "It's like they have opposite magnetisms and refuse to go anywhere near the other." She stood up and crossed her arms, she hadn't been away from him all day. "I just hope he comes back soon."

Katie smiled. "He will. You're really attached to him, aren't you?" Margaret shook her head yes. "I've never seen you like this before."

"I love him enough to marry him and want to be with him forever."

"I think you love him more than that."

"I do."

"So, when's the wedding day?" This had been the first time that the two sisters were able to talk. 

"Well," Margaret smiled sitting back down. Her sister really put her at ease. "We don't really know yet. It depends on a few things."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Nothing," she grinned.

"A secret, huh? And you don't want to tell your sister."

"Sorry. I don't want to wait too long to get married though. I want to start our life together."

"He's going to move where ever you're stationed?"

Margaret looked down at her hands and then back to her sister. "Not exactly." She looked around to make sure that the door was closed. "You can't say a word to anyone."

"I won't. Tell me what it is," Katie said eagerly.

"I'm leaving the army."

Katie's eyes widened. "Are you...you know...pregnant?"

Margaret sat up strait. "No!"

"Phew, I thought...oh, never mind. So why are you leaving?"

"Its time. I've given more than enough years of my life to the army, and I want to give the rest to Hawkeye."

"Ah, that's so sweet."

Margaret smiled and put her arm on the top of the couch. "I couldn't do that to him or myself."  
  
"Where are you going to live? You're not staying in Virginia are you?"  
  
"No, we haven't talked about it yet, but I'm pretty sure we'll move to Maine."  
  
"Maine?" Margaret had never expressed interest in Maine. "Why there?"  
  
"That's where he's from."  
  
"Ah." Katie nodded her head. "Sounds nice."  
  
"We went up when he introduced me to his father, it's such a lovely place." Margaret beamed. "I can't wait to get out of that box that..." She was about to say that 'they' were living in, but she caught herself before she said to much. "That I'm living in." She said.  
  
"Is it that small?"  
  
"Yes." She took a sip of her lemonade.  
  
"You'd think it would be big enough for one person." Her sister went on. The real reason her apartment was so cramped was because it wasn't just her living there, between the two of them there was hardly any room, but Katie didn't need to know that. "So does he still live in Maine? That must be hard to have a relationship."  
  
"No...he lives Virginia."  
  
"Really? Is he close to you?"  
  
"You could say that."

Margaret turned her head when she heard the door open.  She smiled seeing Hawkeye walking in with Janie in his arms.  "We're back," he smiled.

"I see that," Katie said.  "Do you like your Uncle Hawk too?"

"She does," Hawkeye said.  "That makes two of you out of this whole family."

Margaret took her niece into her arms and had her sit comfortably on her lap.  "That's okay.  We don't need the rest of them.  Do we, Janie?"  The baby smiled.  "See, you tell them."

Katie smiled.  "When are two having kids?"

"Not for a little while," Hawkeye answered.  He put his arm around his fiancé.  "How are you feeling?"

"I'm almost ready to get back out there.  I think if I would have had a few more drinks ever single person out there would have heard just what I think about them."

Katie and Hawkeye laughed knowing she was right.  They had both seen her do it to other people.  "I'm ready to get out here and face them," he said.  

"Let Margaret collect herself a little more."

"Aren't you getting antsy?"

"No," she said.

"I am."

"Me too," Katie agreed.  

"Then you two go out there."  

"No," Hawkeye said.  "I'm going with you.  We're together in this, honey."

"I know we are." She gave him a kiss. Then she turned to Katie. "They were really asking about me?"  
  
"Yeah they were."  
  
"What did they say?" She was curious why anyone would care. "Are you sure it wasn't just gossip?"  
  
"On no." She took the baby from Margaret. "They wanted to talk to you, no one's seen you in over four years. I'm sure they're curious."  
  
Margaret looked at Hawkeye. "Or they just want to criticize us. Ask me what I was thinking." Hawkeye rubbed her arm.  
  
"Or they could ask you about that sexy man that you brought." He grinned. "Maybe they want details." He wiggled his eyebrows. Margaret smiled and kissed him again.  
  
"Details?" She asked him with a curious look. Hawkeye was about to say something but thought better of it. He glanced at Katie. Katie turned her head and focused her attention on the baby, she was starting to feel rather uncomfortable.

"What do you say we head out there?"  Katie suggested.  

"I suppose so," Margaret said.  "Its about time."  Hawkeye stood up and then grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet.  "You ready, honey?"  She fixed the collar of his shirt.

"Yeah," he gave her a kiss.  "You know," he turned to Katie.  "Maybe I should take that baby.  They wouldn't possibly think of punching a man with a baby, would they?"

"You never know," Margaret said.  "Let's go."  

He picked up her hand and walked over to the door.  He let Katie go with the baby and then he and Margaret followed right behind.  Margaret's hand was already getting damp.  After a gentle squeeze she looked over at him and smiled.  She was ready to face the music and see what all those people wanted.  If they wanted 'details' they weren't going to get them, but she had to give them a chance.

Please keep on reviewing and let us know what you think.  


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

When they walked onto the back porch it seemed like all eyes were on her.  Not all of them were, but a good bit of them were.  They were a nosy bunch who cared more about the gossip than the truth.  She didn't want to feed into the gossip; it was a hurtful thing to be the topic and that's why she didn't like to be a part of it.  She knew how it felt to be the one being talked about and she didn't want to do that to another person.  Hawkeye led her down the stairs and into the crowd.  She looked at her mother who was over in the corner with a group of older ladies.  The she scanned the crowd for her father.  He wasn't anywhere to found; she didn't know if that was good or bad.

"Where do you want to go?"  Hawkeye said quietly.

"To get a drink," Margaret answered hoarsely.

Hawkeye wasn't about to stop her, he too needed a drink. All those people were making him nervous. He could see how unnerved she already was. They walked to the bar where Margaret ordered a vodka for each of them. "I've met North Koreans that looked more inviting." Hawkeye commented as they took their drinks. Margaret let out an annoyed groan. He put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her to him.  
  
"Reminded me of sharks." Katie added as she joined them.  
  
"You didn't last long." Margaret commented.  
  
"I came to make sure you were all right."   
  
"I'm better now." She swallowed down the rest of her drink.  

"I got anxious when I saw them all."   
  
"It's not you they hate." She spat as she moved away from them and ordered another drink.  
  
"I'm sure they don't hate you." Hawkeye said. "That's why you should go talk to some of them. I won't even come with you."  
  
"Oh no, you have stay with me." She was suddenly panicking. "Don't leave me." Margaret grabbed hold of his arm with one hand.  
  
"Honey." He couldn't believe she was freaking out like that. "I'm not leaving; I'm just going to stand off to the side. They probably won't act so hostile if I'm not there."

Margaret looked at him and thought for a moment. After the drinks she had she wasn't thinking as clearly as normal, but she still had to give the idea some thought before reacting right away. She looked at her sister. "Will you come with me?"

"If you want me to. Do you?"

"Well, maybe you should stay with Hawkeye. I don't want them to eat him for lunch. You know how they can be."

"Margaret," Hawkeye said giving her hand a squeeze, "I don't need to be protected. Don't worry about me."

"Fine." She grabbed the drink he had in his hand and drank the rest of it. She gave him a kiss and then walked away. The alcohol was giving her some back bone. 

Hawkeye looked over at Katie. "What do you think she's going to do?"

"Nothing that she shouldn't have done long ago. They've always walked all over us. Mom and Dad told us never to talk back to them, so we never did."

Hawkeye watched from the sidelines as Margaret walked over to an older woman. "Sometimes she scares me. You never know what she's going to do."

"My sister, the walking time bomb. Just imagine growing up with her."

Hawkeye chuckled. "Let me guess, you took the brunt of all those emotions she holds inside."

"Hell yes. I'm glad she found you. Now you can be the one she yells at."

"I already am."

"I'm not surprised." Katie mused.  "Something about her has changed.  You've been good for her.  She's let go of a lot grudges and let some of those walls down."

  
"This is year four." He informed her. "But I was the one who encouraged her to let them go, so I shouldn't really complain."  
  
Katie laughed softly. "I didn't recognize her when she came home from the war."  
  
Hawkeye started looking around in a slight panic. "Where did she go? I can't see her." Margaret had been standing there one moment and was gone the next.  
  
Katie looked around for her sister. Where had she gone? "Oh no." She said when she spotted her.  
  
"What?" He immediately became worried.  
  
"Some of our aunts and cousins dragged her into their little circle." She bit her lip as she looked on.  
  
"Should I go out there?" He was about to dash out and save her.  
  
"She doesn't look like she's sinking yet. Although her hands are on her hips..."  
  
"Oh no." Hawkeye ran a hand over his face and looked away. "That's never a good sign."  
  
Katie tried to look on the bright side. "I don't hear shouting yet."

"I suppose that's a good sign," he said. "I know Margaret likes to yell and if she's not doing that then she must be okay."

"She's a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for."

"I know she is. But just in case she's getting ready to sink, maybe you should go over there and check up on her."

"I can do that," she smiled. She loved to see how much the couple loved each other. She wished Rick was that way all the time. When it came to her family her husband either tried to avoid them or let then walk all over him. "Watch out for Daddy," she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

Hawkeye looked around in a slight panic. He didn't want to face Al. He could if he had to, but he just didn't want to. Hawkeye watched as Katie walked over, but then he saw her turn around and head back his way. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to be over there."

"Do I need to get over there to save her?"

Katie smiled and nodded no. "Are you crazy? She's on the warpath now. She's telling all of them just what she thinks of them and how much in love the two of you are. She's not sinking over there, she's soaring!"

"Well good for her," Hawkeye said proudly. "I knew she would be okay."

"Yeah. I'm sure all that liquor she's had this afternoon helped her along too."

"No doubt." 

Katie and Hawkeye stood there for a while and watched. Neither could hear what she was saying, but it was evident from her body language that she wasn't in a dire need of help. Hawkeye recognized the way she was standing, that poised, ridged stance with her hands on her hips. He couldn't see her facial expression because her back was to him, but no one had to tell him, he'd seen it one time too often.   
  
"We're probably going to have to leave after this." Hawkeye commented as noticed how heated everything seemed to get.   
  
"You can't leave me here with all of them!" Katie tried to get him to change his mind. She'd go crazy if they left her alone.  
  
Hawkeye gave her a sympathetic look. "Do you honestly think we'd be able to stay if she lets off on them?" He looked back at his fiancé. "You and I both know how she gets."  
  
"What about dinner? Everyone's eating at the hotel restaurant tonight. You'll come won't you?"  
  
He gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure she'd love to have dinner with you and Rick."   
  
"That's wonderful." She smiled, feeling a little reassured. Then after a moment she said. "Maggie had said something about bringing along a few things for the baby..."  
  
"Oh yes, we meant to bring that with us." He told her. In the heat of the moment they had forgotten entirely about that.  
  
"That's no problem." She waved her hand. "I'll just drop by her room when we go for dinner."

"Oh?" He suddenly looked at her. "No, we...I mean, she could just bring it down. There's no need for you to go all the way up there."  
  
"I don't mind at all." She patted his arm. "It's not terribly strenuous to ride the elevator."

"Yeah," he laughed nervously. "You're right. How much of a strain could that be?"

Katie smiled. "Exactly."

Hawkeye stared at Margaret again and saw that she was breaking away from the crowd of people. She didn't look stressed at all. In fact she looked rather relaxed. "What do you think happened?" He asked Katie.

"There's no telling."

Margaret walked up to the three of them with a triumphant smile on her face. "I don't think they'll be bothering me anymore."

  
"What did you do?"

"I just told them how I felt about them. They're a bunch of uptight snobby bitches and I don't give a damn about what they think."

Katie and Hawkeye's eyes went wide. "You didn't?!"

"Yes I did!" She insisted.

"Maggie, you have to see those people again. Why did you do that?"

"I don't give a damn what they say or think. I'm sick and tired of being looked at as a disappointment to the family. There are ones who think I should be in the army, but not at stateside hospital. There are ones that want me to get married, but only to the person that they chose. I can't win, so I finally told them I don't give a damn. And I'm glad!"

"Please, Margaret. Watch your mouth. The baby." Katie looked at her daughter. She was way too young to understand, but it was Katie's baby and her first one. She was always looking out for her and trying to keep anything bad away.

"Sorry." She wrapped her arms around Hawkeye's torso and gave him a soft kiss before laying her head on his chest. "I feel so much better."

Hawkeye held her close and let her relax a little. "Good, but are we going to have to leave town?"

"Hell no!" She looked over at her sister, "Sorry."

"Yeah, yeah."

Margaret looked up at Hawkeye. "I'm on a role. Who's next?" She looked around the room.

"Maggie." It was her sister talking. "Don't you think you've had enough?" She was beginning to worry that Margaret was starting to make a spectacle of herself.  
  
"And back down now?" Margaret couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had finally showed them all and now Katie was telling her it was too much.   
  
"Well, you do have to see them again, and they are your family."  
  
"I don't give a damn about them. For the first time in my life I am taking charge over what I do."  
  
Katie covered the baby's ear as she held her against her chest. "You're going to start a scene." She said in a hushed voice. "Look, I'm proud of what you did, but you can't just start attacking people."  
  
Margaret's eyes flared for a moment. "I can when they attack me and my future husband." She tightened an arm around his waist. Hawkeye kept his mouth closed, this was between the two of them, he didn't need to get caught in the middle of it.  
  
"As you should, but all I'm saying is don't go looking for it." She said.  
  
Margaret sighed as she tried to calm down. "Fine." She told the both of them. "But the instant anyone says anything, I won't be merciful."  
  
"Thank you." Katie smiled.

"You're a pain in my ass." Margaret said to her little sister.

Katie rolled her eyes and looked at her daughter. "Your aunt is horrible! How can she forget about you and your little ears? She's going to scar you for life."

"I am not," Margaret said with a smile.

"Ok you two," Hawkeye cut in. "That's enough. We don't need to start a fight here. You're on the same team."

Margaret smiled at him. "Now how about that drink?"

"How about no," Hawkeye said. "Take it easy. We have to go to dinner with these people tonight and we'll see them tomorrow too."

"Shi..."

Hawkeye covered her mouth before she could finish. "Sshh," he pointed to the baby. She rolled her eyes and bit his hand. "Son-of-a-bitch! That hurt!"

"Oh my god," Katie groaned. "You two are horrible."

Margaret grinned at Hawkeye. "Not so easy, is it?"

"That was your fault. You did it on purpose."

"And what are you going to do about it?" She challenged teasingly.

He narrowed his eyes and then a smile spread across his face. He couldn't resist kissing her, so that's just what he did. He took her into his arms and gave her a gentle loving kiss. "You're lucky I love you so much."

Katie stood to the side rolling her eyes. "You two are worse than a couple of love sick teenagers."

Margaret grinned as she kissed him again. Her sister would have died if she knew about the things they did when they were alone. "I think we've gone past that." She said to Katie with her eyes still focused on him.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
Margaret grinned and looked at her. "You could hardly call us teenagers."  
  
"It doesn't matter; you're still making me sick."  
  
"Well, it shouldn't." She looked at him again. Then while still talking to her sister she said, "After all, you're married and you have a child."  
  
"Yes, but Rick and I don't act like that." She motioned to the arms around each other and the teasing kisses.  
  
"Maybe you should." Margaret grinned. She hadn't seen them pay one ounce of affection to the other.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?!"

"Well..."

"Hold it you two," Hawkeye said. "I don't think you should go there." He knew Margaret had had a little too much to drink and she could be brutally honest when she was drunk or even just on a buzz. Margaret had told him about Katie and Rick and that they didn't have the most affectionate relationship.

Katie nodded her head in agreement. "I'm going inside to make a call."

"Okay."

Hawkeye looked at his fiancé when her sister was out of ear shot. "Watch what you say to her."

Margaret placed her hands on her hips and stood strait. "Don't tell me what to do!"

"Honey, I'm not, but you've had a few drinks and you know what happens. You tend to be too honest and you hurt people."

"I know," she breathed. "How about I get some water?"

"That sounds good to me," he smiled. 

She hooked her arm through his and they walked over to the bar together. The passed a few people and received some glances and looks, but Hawkeye made Margaret keep walking before she jumped down their throats. He felt like a babysitter, but that was fine. 

"What time is it?" Margaret asked him once they had their drinks.  
  
Hawkeye looked at his watch. "It's about three now. Do you have any idea what time dinner is?"  
  
Margaret shook her head. "Not a clue."  
  
He stood a little closer to her. "I was hoping we would have time to relax and be alone for a while before it was time to eat."  
  
"That sounds like a good idea." She leaned against him. "I don't want to be here anymore."  
  
"I know sweetheart." He rubbed her back. "When Katie comes back we'll tell her we're leaving."  
  
"That'll make her upset." She said. "Well, even more than she already is."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled. "You shouldn't have brought that up."  
  
"Well it's not my fault if they're having trouble in bed."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hawkeye called a cab while Margaret found Katie and told her they were leaving. Katie's cool and subtle attitude suddenly faded away when she heard her sister was leaving her. Margaret consoled her and promised they'd see one another at the hotel for dinner. Things were getting too tense and she needed a break before the next round.  
  
"Mom's going to be mad when she finds out you left." How she could become even more angered was beyond question.  
  
"Let her rave, what's she going to do?"  
  
Katie sighed. "It'll sure make dinner more interesting."  
  
"We aren't sitting at the same table as them are we?" Margaret wouldn't go if they were. She couldn't stand it.  
  
"I don't think so, all though some of the girls might."  
  
"Wonderful."  
  
"Hopefully it'll be just us."  
  
"Hopefully."   
  
The cab pulled up and Hawkeye took her hand as they walked out to meet it and got inside. Margaret waved back to her sister as they drove away.

They were pretty quite on the way home. The alcohol was fading in Margaret's system by now so she wasn't so aggressive. She could be aggressive sexually when she was like that which Hawkeye didn't mind, but she could also be mean, which he didn't like. He figured he'd give her time relax and calm down before he said anything. If a person caught her at the wrong second she could blow up. She was a little difficult to predict when she was drinking. She was like a walking time bomb normally, but the alcohol increased the chances that she would go off.

When they got back to the hotel they went silently to the room. Margaret held his hand and let him lead the way. She felt so much better being out of reunion. Hawkeye led her into the room and they sat down on the couch. Margaret laid down and laid her head on his lap and looked up at him. 

"That was exhausting."

"I know," he said moving some hair of her face. "Soon it'll all be over."

"What about the wedding?"

"Don't tell me you're inviting all those people."

Margaret had never really thought about it. In her family they usually had big weddings where all of the Houlihans attended. She didn't do that in her first marriage because she couldn't. So she had assumed since she was back in the states it would just be the normal wedding that the Houlihans had. She looked into Hawkeye's eyes and smiled. "There's no way in hell that I'm going to invite all of those people. If I had it my way the only one who would be there would be my sister and her family. Too bad Janie wasn't older; she could be our flower girl."

"We'll have to find another little girl for that."

"Yeah."

"You know, I'd stay right here in this room if I didn't think someone would come looking for me tonight at dinner."

"We have to go. You promised Katie that you would be there."

"Yeah, let's just hope she doesn't ask to escape to my room."

Hawkeye gasped remembering what Katie had said earlier. "Yeah, we have a slight problem."

"What's that?" One more thing really wasn't going to make any different. She laced her fingers through his.  
  
"We forgot the gifts for Janie, so Katie said she's going to come up here and get them."  
  
"But I never told her the room number." Margaret looked up at him with a confused look.  
  
"What about when you gave her the phone number?"  
  
"Oh, that's right." She covered her face with her arm. "Damn it." Margaret cursed. "Shit."  
  
"What are we going to do?" He asked her. They didn't need Katie finding out about them staying together.  
  
"Well, we'll just have to be down there before her." She said with a groan. "I'm sorry Hawk." Now she wanted to cry. "I'm just messing everything up today."  
  
"No honey." He stroked her hair. "It's okay. Don't worry about it." The alcohol was still having it's way with her. Margaret started crying and buried her face in his stomach.  

"Just relax." He held her closer as he started to rub her back. "It's just you and me." Margaret relaxed against him and laid her head on his chest.   
  
"Take me home." She whispered. "Please." Hawkeye heard how distressed she was and wanted nothing more than to do that. He situated her in his arms and picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. Hawkeye laid her on the bed and removed her shoes. He sat beside her feet and started to massage them. "You're too good to me, you know that?" She said sleepily.  
  
"You just keep kicking my butt and we'll call it even." He grinned.  
  
"Mmm..." She smiled and reached for him. Hawkeye let go of her feet and crawled up the bed to her awaiting arms. She hugged him to her as he settled himself next to her. "This is much better." She breathed.  
  
"Mmm hmm..." He agreed as he laid his head on her chest. "You know something, alcohol really does something to you."  
  
"I know, my temper flares and I get a little out of control, what's new?" She was sick of hearing about it.  
  
"You are incredibly feisty." He kissed her neck. "I should get you drunk more often. We could have some real fun then."

She giggled a little bit.  "You just happen to catch me in the right mood, that's all."

"I'm lucky then."

"Maybe you will be," she teased.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I will," he kissed her neck. "You don't seem to be resisting."

All of a sudden she rolled them over so she was lying on top of him. "If you won't take me home, then we're going to at least act like we're on vacation for a little bit."

"Well we've never been on a vacation together before. What are we supposed to do?"

She leaned down and kissed him. "Whatever we want."

"Ah," he grinned. He started to pull up the skirt of her dress so she wasn't sitting on it. "Then this has to come off." He pulled it over her head. "And this needs to go too." He pulled her down so he could unsnap her bra and he tossed it to the side. 

"Wow, wait. There's some things that I want too." She pulled his shirt up and over his head. "This needs to go, and so does this." She started with the buckle. 

"I like this," he said. 

"You'll like it even better once those pants come off."

His eyes widened and he decided right then and there that he was going to get her to drink more often. She was very aggressive and he loved when that happened. Lately he had been the aggressor because she had been so preoccupied with the events with her family. 

Margaret finally got the buckle undone and moved to open his pants. Without any problem at all she popped the button and pulled down the zipper. "I love it when you're like this." He grinned and willingly obliged to her tugging. Hawkeye lifted his hips and allowed her to pulled his pants off.  
  
"We're on a vacation, I can't let you have all the fun." She smiled as she moved back up his body to kiss him.   
  
"I hope being on vacation means a lot more of this." He kissed her back as she pulled his head closer to hers.  
  
Margaret straddled his lap as she kissed him and then moved away to suck at his neck. "You don't think I let you buy all that mysterious lingerie for nothing do you?"  
  
He started fingering the waist of her panties as she worked on his neck. "What if we just spend the rest of the week in here?"  
  
"My sister would come looking for us." She moved to kiss his lips.  
  
"We wouldn't have to answer the door." Margaret moved down and started kissing his chest.  
  
"Is sex all you think about?"  
  
"At the moment," he breathed as she kissed lower. "Yes."  
  
She ran her hands up along his sides and then back down his chest, feeling the hard muscles. When she reached the band of his underwear she moved back a little so she could she him and admire the way he looked in them, he looked wonderfully appetizing, especially in the state he was in at that moment. "I think these boxer briefs look _very _good on you."  
  


"They'd feel much better off if you get my drift," he breathed.

She grinned. "I do. I can also see your 'drift'."

"Yeah."

She kissed him once more. Then she moved her hands down to the waist band of his underwear. She started to tug at them and he lifted his hips to let her do so. He laid there and let her tease him for a little, but he couldn't take it much longer. He flipped her over in one quick swoop and started to kiss her from her head and worked his way down. When he reached her stomach he started to pull at her panties to get them off of her. Once he accomplished that Margaret turned things around again so she was back in control. Most of the time she loved to be made love to, but this afternoon was different. She wanted to be in control and that was very clear to Hawkeye.

*******

It was thirty very wild and passionate minutes that they laid together on the floor. Neither knew how exactly they got there, but they knew they had fun getting there. Margaret laid with her head on his chest and her whole body resting against his. "That was sooo good."

"Yeah."

Margaret smiled against his chest enjoying the feeling of his hands on the back of her head playing with her hair. "We have to take a shower."

"I don't think I'm up for that."

"What?"

"You know how our showers are. I've 'performed' three times today already. I don't think I can go for a shower right now."

"You've done more."

He grinned proudly. "I know."

She yawned. "How about a nap?"

"Sounds good." He started to move, but she didn't budge. "Honey, I need to get up."

"Why? Let's stay here."

"On the floor? That's too uncomfortable."

  
"I like being this close to you."

He kissed the top of her head. "I promise we'll find something just as comfortable on the bed."

Margaret moved off him so he could stand up. He offered her his hands and helped her to her feet. When he turned around to pull back the bedding she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his back.  
  
"You're warm." Margaret mumbled against his skin. She was tired and wanted nothing but to cuddle with him.  
  
Hawkeye turned in her arms. "I'm also sweaty." He said as he moved back and pulled her into the bed.  
  
"I don't mind." She snuggled against him, burring her face in his chest. Margaret loved everything about him, even the way he smelled. She didn't mind his sweaty body, she was sweaty too. "You know exactly how to make me feel better. That was just what I needed after today."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled. "That was all you baby, I hardly did a thing."  
  
"Well, I wouldn't say hardly." She grinned.

************

The nap had rejuvenated Margaret, making her feel better about seeing her family again. She had slept most of her hangover off, lifting that clouded feeling inside her head. When she awoke the first thing she saw was a sleeping Hawkeye lying peacefully beside her, she couldn't help but smile at the feeling of his arms around her.   
  
Her movements startled him and awakened him, causing him to open his eyes and look down at her. "Did we over sleep?" He asked groggily.  
  
"No, we've got about an hour before we need to head down." She said after she'd turned and looked at the clock.  
  
"Damn." He grumbled. Margaret smiled; she too wanted to spend the rest of the day in bed with him.  
  
"We won't stay long." She told him, she'd thought about this earlier. "Just long enough to eat and spend some time with Katie, and then we come right back to this."  
  
"Sounds good to me." He hugged her closer. They spent a few more minutes cuddling and then got up and went to shower. Once Hawkeye was clean she made him get out so she could wash without his hands in the way. He picked up a towel and sat down on the toilet seat and waited for her to finish. "What are you going to do about Katie?"  
  
"Hopefully I'll catch her before she can catch us."  
  
"Yeah. So hurry up." He prompted.  
  
She opened the curtain and looked at him. "Why don't you go get dressed?" Margaret asked. He was just sitting there.  
  
"I want to wait for you."

"Please?"

"No."  He stood up and wiped some fog off of the mirror so he could see himself.  He waited in there until she was finished and then they both walked back out to the bedroom to find things to wear.  

He sat down on the bed and watched her.  She went straight to the closet and started to find something to wear.  "I have nothing here."

"We just went shopping.  How could you have nothing?"

"I just don't."

"Why don't you wear the dress you wore today?"  He suggested.

"That's why."  She pointed to the corner of the room.

He glanced over to see it looking all disheveled on floor, Hawkeye really hadn't given it much thought when he pulled it off her and tossed it aside. "Fine then, wear something else. You've got plenty of nice dresses."  
  
"But that's the problem, I don't know _which _one." She emphasized to him.  
  
Hawkeye walked over to the closet and started rummaging around. After a few minutes he pulled one out and showed it to her. "This one."   
  
Margaret looked it over. "No. It shows more skin then the last one. We'd only be down there for thirty minutes before I'd have to bring you back up."  
  
Hawkeye grinned mischievously. "It's an excuse to leave isn't it?"  
  
She threw a pair of socks at him. "Not when my fiancé, whom my family hates, is aroused!"  
  
"Well, then we better not go." He tossed the socks behind him.  
  
"No." She told him. "I just won't wear this dress." Margaret hung it back up. "My sister would only have to take a quick look at it and notice your body language to know what we've been up to." She walked back over to him with her hands on her hips.  
  
"You make it sound like what we've been doing is wrong."  
  
"I didn't say that."  
  
"Good." He pulled her onto his lap and fell back so they were lying on the bed and he was on top of her.  
  
"Hawkeye..."

"Yes?"

"Don't even think about it!"

"What?"

She moved away and stood up. "You know what I mean. Just get dressed."

"Fine." He laid there on the bed. 

She picked up a dress and started to put it on. Then stood looking in the mirror. She turned around to see how it looked, but it wasn't what she was going for. Tossing it to the side she picked out another one from the closet. She held it up and examined it for a moment. "What about this?"

"Whatever you want is fine."

"You're not any help. And why aren't you getting dressed?"

"I'm watching you. You're a lot more fun to watch."

She rolled her eyes. "You need to get dressed. I don't want Katie coming up here."

"Margaret, it will take me two seconds to get dressed. You're the one that needs to hurry."

"Well, help me then!" She was getting frustrated with not knowing what to wear.

She was putting way too much thought into what she was going to wear. No one needed to think that much about going to dinner. He stood, walked over to the closet and pulled out a nice white dress. "Where this one."

"I can't. What if I hold the baby? It'll get too dirty."

"Okay," he put it back. He stood there for a moment and then pulled out a nice blue one. One of the ones she had bought the day before. "This one."

"You really like it on me?"

"I love it on you."

Margaret held it up and looked at it again. "I suppose it'll work." Hawkeye rolled his eyes. Margaret glanced over at him, he was still naked. "Well, are you just going to stand there?!" Hawkeye jumped slightly at her tone. "My sister could be in the hotel at this very moment and you don't have a damn thing on!"  
  
Hawkeye was very puzzled by her sudden change in attitude. "I'm moving." He told her, not wanting to argue. Margaret glared at him and watched as he turned to dress. He pulled out a pair of boxers before walking over to the closet.  
  
Margaret slipped on her dress and went to put on her make up in the bathroom. "You better be dressed by the time I come back." She told him and shut the door. Hawkeye sighed and shook his head, she was incredible.   
  
When Margaret immersed a little later she found Hawkeye standing in the middle of the room putting on his watch. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a matching jacket. His white shirt was only partially buttoned so it exposed his upper chest. She was surprised that he had already combed his hair and put on his shoes.   
  
Hawkeye looked over at her when she entered the room. "Ready when you are."  
  
"Are you going to put on a tie?" She asked him as she slipped on her heels.  
  
"No." Was his only answer.  
  
Margaret walked over to him and buttoned a few more buttons so the top two were left open. Even though he wasn't wearing a tie he still looked good. "How do I look?" She was nervous about going to dinner and it was evident to Hawkeye.  
  
"You look wonderful." He looked her up and down.   
  
Margaret gave him a relieved smile. "Thanks, so do you."  
  
"I'm glad you approve." He mocked her. She swatted him and picked up her purse.  
  
"Come on, let's get this over with."


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

He opened the door for her and let her go out ahead of him. He grabbed the bag of things that she had gotten for her niece and then they headed out the door. They walked side by side for a moment, but then Hawkeye picked up her hand. He saw that she was nervous and wringing her hands. There wasn't any need for her to be nervous. After the little show she was involved in that afternoon he didn't think anyone would have the nerve to go after her. 

Hawkeye pushed the button that said lobby once they got into the elevator. "Where is she meeting us?"

"She thinks she's coming up to our room. That's why I want to catch her by the door before she tries to. We don't need anymore problems."

"Okay." He didn't understand what the problem was with them staying in the same room. He could understand everyone having a hard time with them living together, but everyone knew they weren't a couple of virgins. Of course they would be staying in the same hotel room.

When they reached the lobby the doors opened and they saw Katie, Rick, and the baby standing there. They had been waiting to go up. Margaret breathed a sigh of relief. They had narrowly escaped Katie knowing or having to make up some kind of story. "Hi," Margaret smiled.

"Hi, we were just coming up," Katie said.

Margaret and Hawkeye stepped off of the elevator. "It's nice out. Let's go sit by the pool for a little bit. I don't want to be in that dining room waiting."

"Sounds good," Rick smiled. He didn't like the Houlihans, but he would never stand up to them. They scared him.

Margaret took her niece into her arms. It wasn't often that she got to see Janie and she wanted to spoil her and hold her while she could. It was also unbelievable how calm the baby made her. She made her relax and enjoy the moment. When they reached the pool area they all set down at a shaded table in the corner. Margaret settled the baby on her lap while the other three adults finished up some small talk.

"So Margaret," Katie began. "When are you telling dad?"  
  
"I thought he knew." Rick suddenly said, he hadn't been there but Katie had told him earlier that Hawkeye and Margaret were getting married.  
  
"No." Katie snapped. "Not that. Margaret's getting out of the Army." She told him.  
  
Rick laughed. "You're getting out?"  
  
Hawkeye and Margaret looked at each other; they didn't seem to think it was funny. "Yes, I am."  
  
"Rick!" Katie swatted him.  
  
"I'm sorry, it's just hard to imagine." He chuckled a little more. "Wait until your father finds out..."  
  
"That's what I'm worried about." Said Margaret, she could feel a headache coming on. She leaned in towards Hawkeye. "Can you order me a drink?"  
  
"Sure." He stood up. "What do want?"  
  
"Something dry."   
  
He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll be right back."

"Thank you," she smiled.

"I'll go with him," Rick said. 

"I'll take a water," Katie called after him. She looked at Margaret and shook her head. "He doesn't even ask if I want anything."

"I noticed." 

"Be careful. Once you get married and have a baby everything changes."

"That won't be for a little while. We don't plan on having any right away."

"Well," she smiled looking at her daughter. She was very relaxed in her aunts arms. "It doesn't always happen the way you plan it to. Isn't that right baby girl? You were our little surprise."

Margaret smiled at her. "I don't think Hawkeye will be like that."

"I didn't think Rick would either, but it isn't only the husbands. We change too. Our number one priority gets bumped to number two. That baby becomes your life."

"Yeah, well Hawkeye and I have other things to worry about right now. Having babies isn't on that list." She picked up the bag that was sitting next to her feet and handed it to her sister. "This is for Janie."

"Wow, did you get her a whole new wardrobe?"

Margaret smiled. "Practically. Once I walked into that baby store I couldn't leave with buying just one thing."

Hawkeye came back with the drink for her and sat down next to her. Rick was with him and took his seat too. "Here honey," Hawkeye said.

"Thank you."

"Look," Katie said to Rick. "Margaret bought the baby some things."

"Nice. Just what she needs. More clothes." Margaret and Hawkeye looked at each other. Rick seemed to be a little jealous of the baby. "As if she doesn't get enough already."

"Rick, please," Katie whispered tersely. 

Margaret gazed away from her sister and brother-in-law and looked at her fiancé. Hawkeye could see the anguish and worry written across her face. Her little sister's marriage was in distress and it was clearly getting worse. Hawkeye picked up her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, he knew she was terrified the same thing would happen to them.   
  
"Anyway," Katie suddenly picked up her voice. "Thank you very much." They didn't need to be arguing there, not in front of her older sister. Rick grew quiet and sat back in his chair. Margaret could see how upset Katie was and it broke her heart.  
  
"Would you excuse me?" She suddenly stood up and bolted back into the hotel.  
  
Hawkeye jumped to his feet. "I'll be right back." He told them and quickly hurried after her. At first he didn't see her, she wasn't in the bar or the lounge. Finally he saw her standing beside the elevator, waiting for it open. She was visibly upset.

She looked at him when she heard footsteps coming. "Hi."

"Where do you think you're going? You just gave them the baby and left. What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I can't stay there and watch that."

"You can't just run away. Why does it bother you so much?"

"It just does."

Hawkeye picked up her hand and pulled her away from the door. "What's wrong?"

"Look at them. They're marriage is falling apart. You can see it."

"Yes, but honey that's no reason to get up and bolt from the table like that. Tell me what's wrong."

She looked around to make sure they were alone. "My little sister's marriage is going to shambles, my parents are divorced, and I've been divorced. I'm scared. What if that happens to us?"

"It won't. We're different, baby."

"You can't say that for sure."

Hawkeye looked into her eyes. "We need to go back to the table. We'll continue this later."

"I don't want to."

"Let's go," he pulled her hand along. "We'll tell them you got sick."

"Hawkeye, I just want to go home."

"I know. We will in a few days. Maybe one day we'll look back on all of this and laugh."

"Yeah right. You're dreaming," she said coldly.

"Look," he stopped and held her hands in his. "I am nothing like Rick, I am nothing like Donald, and I am definitely nothing like your father. We are different then them."  
  
Margaret didn't say anything; she knew they weren't like any of them. "It's just that I love you so much..."   
  
"Sweetheart, I love you too, more then anything in the world. I will never stop loving you." He told her sincerely while holding her close.  
  
A tear fell down her cheek. "Oh Hawkeye..." She buried her face in his neck. Hawkeye rubbed her back and whispered comforting sentiments in her ear. He knew how terrified she was of being left alone.  
  
After a few minutes she calmed down and composed herself. Hawkeye bought her another drink and then they went back outside. Katie and Rick were talking softly when they approached. As soon as they spotted Hawkeye and Margaret they stopped. "Hey, what happened?" Katie asked her sister as they sat down.  
  
"I'm sorry I rushed out like that." Margaret apologized. "My stomach's been kinda jumpy all day."  
  
"Aww, feel any better?"  
  
Margaret looked over at Hawkeye and smiled. "Yeah." She told her sister.  
  
"Well, it's almost time to go in, people should be arriving soon."  
  
"Okay." Everyone stood up. Margaret took Hawkeye's hand and followed the other couple inside.

Margaret really didn't want to go in there and stood back. Hawkeye had to practically drag her in there. Usually it was the other way around. She was the one that had to drag him to places. When they got in there they surveyed the crowd to see if Al was there. They didn't see him so they looked around for a table. "Where are we supposed to sit?" Katie asked.

"I don't think it matters," Margaret said.

"There's a table over there," Hawkeye pointed to the corner of the room.

They all nodded and followed him over there. When they sat down Margaret looked around the dining room to see who was watching. There were so many people there and so much gossip that she really hoped she wasn't the number one thing on everyone's mind. After the show that afternoon she wasn't so sure about that. She saw the glances and the mouths moving knowing they were whispering. Hawkeye must have seen it too because he put his arm around her shoulders and held her tightly against him. She smiled and leaned into him. 

Across the table Katie and Rick sat there staring at them. Katie's eyes looked down when Margaret caught her. She longed to have that kind of relationship. "So," Rick said a little uncomfortably. "What are you two doing tonight? Going out on the town?"

"Are you kidding?" Margaret said coolly. "After being here like this all my energy is drained. All I want to do is go home."

"In a few days," Hawkeye said. He looked back at Rick. "What are you two doing tonight?"

"Same as always," Rick said. "Go home, put the baby to bed and then wait around until we get tired and go to bed."

Margaret looked over at her sister and Katie nodded in conformation. "Do you ever go out anymore?"

"Not since the baby was born."

"That was four months ago! Why haven't you been out?"

Rick looked at his wife and then back to Margaret. "Because your sister doesn't want to leave the baby with anyone. God forbid she do something for herself or someone else."

Margaret could see the hurt on her sister's face, she was about ready to cry. An anger burned inside her as she tried to control her emotions, had they been some place else, Margaret would have reached across the table and decked him.  
  
"That's not really fair." She said in a calm and collective voice. "She has been taking care of your child day in and day out for the last four months. I really don't see how that qualifies her as being selfish."  
  
Rick glared at Margaret and Hawkeye saw it. "It wouldn't kill her to leave the kid with someone for a few hours." He said.  
  
"Maybe she just doesn't have time to make herself up for you, seeing as how you're never there to help!" Margaret said rather viciously. She hated it that her sister's husband was such an asshole.   
  
"Stop it! Please." Katie realized that their conversation was starting to get more heated and knew it was time to stop it before things got too out of hand. "Can't we just have a nice dinner?" She pleaded.  
  
For the sake of her sister and her already bruised reputation, Margaret relaxed and sat back. Hawkeye moved possessively closer to her and tightened his hold around her shoulders. If Rick gave her one more dirty look he was going to have a few choice words to say to the other man.

"So," Hawkeye said. "What are we supposed to do here? Just sit in the corner and hide all night?"

Katie smiled. "That's what Maggie and I used to do when we were kids. We used to go as far away as we could. Remember when we vowed we'd never show up at these things once we grew up?"

"Yes," she smiled. "And look at us now. We're still hiding here in the corner."

Hawkeye gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, honey. We'll get a few more drinks in you and you'll be out there in the middle of the room telling everyone to go to hell."

"Hawk," she slapped him teasingly. "That's not funny."

"I think he's right," Katie said. "That was pretty good when you did that."

Margaret rolled her eyes. "I don't think I want to do that." Hawkeye looked at her, but didn't say anything. She had already had two drinks and he could tell she was looking for a third; she just didn't want to go up to the bar. He'd go up for her a little later, but he didn't want her to get drunk. She needed to get something in her stomach before she had another drink, but he couldn't come right out and say it. She wouldn't go for that and then she would be mad at him.

"I heard about that," Rick said. "I wish I'd have been there."

"To do what?" Margaret said evenly. "Avoid your wife and suck up to my father."

"Maggie!"

"I'm sorry," Margaret said quickly. "I didn't mean it."

Rick clenched his jaw and looked at his sister-in-law. He had liked her when he first met her a few years before, but the more he saw her the less he liked her. She always claimed not to be like the rest of the Houlihans, but she could be like them. She could be overbearing and demanding, and she definitely had a temper on her. She was starting to let that show, and he couldn't see why. 

"So, where's that waiter huh?" Hawkeye said, trying to lift the tension. Everyone was looking very grim.  
  
"Well, there's a lot of people." Margaret told him. "I'm sure it'll be a while."  
  
"Yeah, but they should have enough waiters for this many people."  
  
"And I made reservations two weeks ago." Katie added.   
  
"That doesn't mean anything." Commented Rick from beside her.  
  
"Yes, it does, they knew we were going to have this many people. They should have been better equipped." She argued back.  
  
"What hotel does that? This is not the Plaza; we are not in New York."  
  
"Rick, that's besides the point..."  
  
"Stop, please." Margaret said. Her head was starting to hurt. Everyone grew silent and just took to sitting around the table.  
  
It was getting late, they were hungry, and the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. "I'm starved." Hawkeye commented, the silence was killing him. He began tapping his fingers on the table.   
  
"Is that all you think about?" Margaret asked him sharply. After a minute she changed her mind. "Wait...I know the answer to that, don't say anything." The only thing Hawkeye liked better than food was sleeping, and the only thing he liked better than sleeping was sex.

Hawkeye grinned at her. "Then we better eat, right?"

"Yes," she nodded. Just then a waiter came by their table. They all breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully getting some food on the table would ease the tension. They ordered some drinks and their food at the same time since they knew what they wanted. When the waiter was gone the table was quiet again. 

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Hawkeye asked. He really didn't know the schedule of things, he just went with it. 

"One more get together. I think at the beach tomorrow and that's it. No more." Katie said. She was adjusting the baby in her arms. Janie was getting restless.

"Good. I can't wait to go home," Margaret said looking at Hawkeye.

"I know."

Rick looked over at Katie and the baby. "Will you keep her quiet? We're in a restaurant."

Margaret tensed up, but calmed down quickly. "I'll take her," she stood up as Katie passed the baby across the table. "What's the matter, honey? You don't like it when you don't get all of the attention?"

"Like that never happens," Rick said under his breath.

"I think she needs her diaper changed," Margaret said. She stood up. "Where's the diaper bag."

"Right here," Katie passed it to her. "Thank you." Margaret took the baby and went to find the bathroom. She needed a breather from Rick.

That left Hawkeye sitting all alone with Katie and Rick. As soon as Margaret was out of ear shot they started arguing again. Hawkeye didn't want to say anything, he'd only met them the day before and it was obvious that this problem between them had been growing for some time now. "Will you excuse me?" He pushed back his chair and stood up. "I'm afraid I forgot my wallet upstairs." He didn't even wait for a response before he started walking off. Once he and Margaret got married, no one was ever going to visit them; he wouldn't be able to take it.   
  
Hawkeye had pushed the button numerous times, hoping that it would speed up the elevator, but nothing happened. Finally he gave up and leaned up against the wall beside it. "Where are you going?" A voice said from behind him.  
  
He turned his head to see Margaret standing there. She was holding Janie in her arms, waiting for a response. Just then the elevator opened. "Come on." He held the door and ushered her inside.  
  
"Where are we going?" She questioned him as the door shut behind them.  
  
"Up to the room. I figure we can stall for a little bit."  
  
"What? Why?" Then answering her own questions she said, "Were they going at it?"  
  
Hawkeye nodded. "I didn't feel it was my place to say anything, you know only having met them yesterday."  
  
"So then why are we going upstairs?"  
  
"I told them I forgot my wallet."  
  
"Ah." She nodded. "But you didn't, did you?"  
  
Hawkeye pulled out a brown leather wallet and wiggled it out in front of her. "We don't have to stay long, I just wanted a breather."

"What about the baby?" 

"You can either leave her in the elevator or bring her in the room." She rolled her eyes. "What about her? Who's she going to tell? She can't talk."

"You're right." She smiled at Janie. "We're escaping for a few minutes. What do you think of that?" Janie smiled. "You like that, don't you?"

"Who wouldn't? What's up with those two anyway?"

"Who? Katie and Rick?"

"Yes. Who else would i be talking about?"

"Well, they're having trouble."

"Yeah, but people don't fight out in the open like that. How long has that been going on?"

"Just after they got married. Things got worse when Janie came along. She's a lot of work, and Rick doesn't seem to think she's worth it."

"I wouldn't say that. He loves the baby."

Margaret was just mad. "Well, he needs to show it. What about Katie?"

"We don't need to get involved."

"You're right, but she's my baby sister. I have to watch out for her."

Hawkeye smiled. "You're almost as cute as Janie."

Margaret gave him a warning look. He just smiled.  "Since she is my niece I'll let you go on that one."

"Let me take her."

"No," Margaret pulled away. She's mine now."

Hawkeye pretended to pout. "That's not fair."  
  
"Too bad." She cuddled the child against her and turned away from him.  
  
"That's okay." She felt his arms slip around her waist. "I've got the babysitter." He buried his face in her neck.  
  
"What has gotten into you? Three times today and you still want more." Hawkeye nuzzled her gently.  
  
He kissed her neck. "Can I help it if I love you?"  
  
"There's loving and then there's loving." She reminded him.  
  
The elevator door opened and he stopped. They stepped out and starting walking down the hallway. "Just because your sister and Rick aren't having sex doesn't mean we can't."  
  
"Hawkeye!" She covered the baby's ears. "You can't say S-E-X in front of a child!"  
  
"She's only four months old!"  
  
"I don't care."  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "Fine...just because their not getting along in the bedroom doesn't mean we have to follow their example."  
  
"We've made love three times today....."

"Let's make it four."

"No."

He took out the key and unlocked the door. "Go ahead," he let her go in with the baby. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

"I'll just get a few drinks in you and you'll be singing a different tune."

She rolled her eyes. "You're crazy."

"I was once, and I don't plan on going there again. That's why I needed to come up here. I don't know how you do it, Janie." He took the baby from Margaret.

"Hey...You can't just take her."

"Sure I can. I just did."

She placed the diaper bag down beside the couch and took a seat next to Hawkeye on the couch. "This is so much nicer up here."

"I know. I needed more than a bathroom break to escape from that fighting. It's really uncomfortable. And why do they fight in front of the baby?"

"I don't know." Margaret placed a hand on the baby's chubby bare foot. "You'd think they wouldn't do that. You could see that it was making her upset."

"That's what was wrong with her?"

Margaret nodded. "She didn't need a diaper change. We just needed a break."

"And you left me there all alone!"

She gave him a gentle kiss. "You're old enough to take care of yourself. Janie still needs someone to look out for her."

"We all need that." He moved some hair out of her eyes.

"You're right when it comes to that." She admitted and sat closer to him. Hawkeye put his arm around her shoulder. They sat with the baby and played with her for a few minutes.   
  
"She's so small." He commented.  
  
"Only four months."  
  
"I can't wait to see what our kids look like."  
  
Margaret smiled at him. "We would make a good looking baby wouldn't we?" Hawkeye leaned down and kissed her softly.  
  
"You know....." Hawkeye trailed off when he saw the baby yawn. "We could get in a quick one before we go back."   
  
"Hawkeye..."

"I'm kidding," he smiled. "But..."

"No!"

He leaned in and kissed her. "You can tell you two are related." He handed the baby back to her. "She looks like a Houlihan."

Margaret smiled. "She's a cute one. I want some just like her."

"Some?" Hawkeye asked a little surprised. "What does that mean?"

"Well, don't you? You just said our kids would look cute."

"Yeah, one, maybe two. How many do you want?"

"Oh, I don't know. We don't have to talk about this now." She placed her hand on her knee. "Are you worried about that?"

"Well Margaret, I don't want ten kids. Up until about six months ago I didn't even want one kid."

"You never told me that."

"We didn't really talk about that stuff much. You know what happened to me in Korea. If you haven't noticed your niece is the first baby I've held."

She didn't notice that at all. If she did she wouldn't have fought with him to keep the baby in her arms. She would have gladly let him take her. "Here, take her."

"No," he smiled. "You hold her. She's your niece and you never get to see her."

"Soon she'll be yours too. That is if you still want to marry into this family I have."

"Of course," he said. "If I can tame you, I can tame the rest of them."

"I'm not going to get my hopes up." She rolled her eyes playfully. "Here, take her back." Margaret tried to hand him back the baby.  
  
"No, that's okay." He held up his hands in protest. "I need to go take a piss since we're up here anyway." He stood up and walked into the bedroom.  
  
Margaret followed him and stopped when he walked into the bathroom. She sat down on the bed and cradled the baby. "She's getting sleepy." She called to him.  
  
"That's probably because we're the first people whom she's been around who don't shout all the time." He told her. The door to the bathroom was still open; she could see and hear him.  
  
"Maybe so." She said softly as she watched the baby stretch. "What if we watched her for a night? It would give Katie and Rick a chance to work through some of their problems."  
  
Hawkeye finished washing his hands and walked back out into the bedroom. "Under normal circumstances I would, but look where we are. We're in a hotel, where would she sleep?"  
  
"I'm sure we could think of something."  
  
"You know after having to watch you walk around in a bikini all day I'm not going to want to sit around when we get back tomorrow."   
  
"I didn't mean _right _now. Maybe the night before we leave." Suddenly she just realized what he said. "Bikini?!" She looked at him.

"Well, yeah. We're going to beach tomorrow for the end of this damn reunion."

"I'm not wearing a bikini!"

"Yes you are. You always wear one. Why should this be any different?"

"We already talked about this." She said lowly. The baby was dozing off and she didn't want to disturb her. "I don't want to fight about it. I've done enough fighting here."

"Fine. We should be getting back down there before they come looking for us." He wouldn't fight with her, but he had a new mission in mind for tomorrow. He would get her to wear that bikini some how.

"Do we have to? Look how peaceful she is." She stared at the tiny baby in her arms. She was close to thirty years old and she could practically hear her biological clock ticking. It didn't seem that strong before, but once she got that baby into her arms things changed.

"I think we do. Her mother will come looking for her if we don't. I don't see how you're going to get your sister to let the baby stay with you for the night."

"You'd be surprised what I can get Katie to do."

That sounded interesting. "Oh?"

Margaret smiled and stood up. The baby was sleeping now. "I hope she's a deep sleeper. Once we get down there it'll be a little loud."

"I'm sure she is. Her parents seem to fight all the time. She has to be used to the noise."

"Here." Margaret handed the baby over to Hawkeye. "Make her comfortable. I'll get the diaper bag."

Hawkeye placed the baby on his shoulder. Her little arms wrapped around his neck and she cuddled into him. Hawkeye found himself feeling oddly comfortable with her. He walked out into the living room where Margaret had the diaper bag. "Let's get married and have one right now."

Margaret looked over at him and smiled. "Awww. She's infectious, isn't she?"

"She is."

She walked over to the two of them and gave him a kiss. "One day. Right now let's go fight off all the demons downstairs."

"Hopefully we can eat and then get the hell out of there." He said softly so as not to wake the baby.  
  
Margaret walked in front of him and opened the door. "I hope they haven't ordered already."  
  
"I'm sure they haven't." He walked out into the hallway. "You know how you lose your appetite when you've been yelling."  
  
"That's true....."  
  
"Hopefully it won't be a long wait."  
  
"Everyone should be there by now." They got onto the elevator. "Including my parents." She groaned.  
  
"It'll be okay, we're not eating with them."  
  
"That's right. They'll sit with everyone else who hates us." She spat.   
  
The Elevator opened and they walked back into the lobby. Margaret led the way as they made their way back into the dining room. Katie spotted them before they reached the table. "Where did you go?! You were gone for more than twenty minutes!"

"Shh," Margaret said. "She's asleep." 

Katie looked at the baby on Hawkeye's shoulder. It was cute picture, but she would have liked it better had the baby been with Rick. "Well, where do you go? I was getting worried."

"The baby and I were on our way back from the bathroom and we saw Hawkeye." She pulled out Hawkeye's chair for him so he could sit down with the baby and then took her seat. "Did you order yet?"

"No. So where did you go?"

"We walked up to Hawkeye's room with him so he could get his wallet."

"It took that long?"

"No. The baby was getting sleepy so we sat down and let her relax at little. You're not mad are you?"

"No, but next time tell me. I was worried about her."

"Sorry. You know she's safe with me."

"Yes, but still..."

"I get it Katie. Did Mom or Dad come over and say hi yet?"

"Mom came over and asked where the baby was. I told her you had her with you. She just turned around and left."

"Great," Margaret rolled her eyes. "How did she seem?"

"You know Mom. She always seemed pissed for one reason or another."

"Yeah, but we all know why this time."

"At least it's not because of me." Katie smiled.  
  
Margaret frowned, she hated to be reminded that her whole family hated her. "Yes, I know."  
  
"You have no idea how much better it makes be feel."  
  
Normally she would have been glad to do it, but now Katie was just rubbing it in her face. "Yes Katie."   
  
The waiter came up to their table finally and took their orders. Margaret was grateful for the interruption and Hawkeye was glad so they could finally eat. Hopefully then everyone would be too busy to talk. The waiter left them with some rolls and then went to place their orders. Hawkeye picked up a roll and started eating. "I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten anything all day."  
  
"What about breakfast?"  
  
"Nope. Didn't get out of bed until ten and then....."

"And then I gave him a wake up call and made him get ready to go."  Margaret informed her sister.

"Oh.  Margaret, would you mind walking with me to go to the restroom?"

"Sure."  Margaret pushed her chair out and walked away with her sister.  They made it to the ladies room without running into their mother, but they had no such luck on their way back.  Joan was headed straight for them and there was no where else to go.  "Hi Mom."

"Hello.  I see you brought him with you."

Margaret narrowed her eyes.  "He'll always be with me, so you better get used to it."

"You didn't have to bring him here."

"I wanted to."

Joan went on like Margaret hadn't said a word.  "I see that you two are hiding in the corner just like you always have.  Its embarrassing.  Why do you do that to me?  I thought you two would have grown up a little.  You can't even come and talk to your own mother."

"And just like then you've really gone out of your way to encourage us mother." Margaret said coolly before walking off. She had absolutely nothing to say to that woman.   
  
"Well I never!" Joan gasped as her daughter walked away.   
  
"What do you expect? You hate her." Katie turned to her mother.  
  
"I do not hate her!" Joan exclaimed. "It's that man I can't stand!" She growled. "And as long as she's with him....."  
  
"And yet you're angry because she doesn't talk to you?"  
  
"I'm angry because I told her she couldn't marry that man and she's going against my orders!"  
  
"Your orders?" Katie asked. It sounded like Joan was the one in the army. "Mother, she's going to marry Hawkeye no matter what you or anyone else says. You had better just get over it and accept it."  
  
Joan crossed her arms. "Never." She said sternly. "Besides, he's one of them."  
  
"One of them?" Katie didn't quite understand, what the hell was she talking about?  
  
"You know, he's Italian." She said lowly.

"Oh Mother!"  Katie walked away.  She didn't want to hear anymore.

Katie went back to the table and sat down.  "What was she saying to you?"  Margaret asked.

Katie didn't want to say.  "Nothing really.  You know her."

"Yes," Margaret rolled her eyes.

"Rick, maybe you should take our daughter.  It's not Hawkeye's responsibility to hold her while she's sleeping."

"She's fine," Rick said.  "She looks comfortable to me."

"Would you go get her carriage from the car?  We could lay her in there that way we can all eat."

"Fine."

No one argued with him as he left the table. Whatever his intentions were, Margaret didn't care. She was just happy he was doing something. Hawkeye had handled Janie beautifully and it was clearly obvious that it had make Rick jealous.   
  
"Did anything happen while we were gone?" Margaret asked her fiancé. Knowing Hawkeye, if he was pushed hard enough, he wouldn't have just taken it and sat there.  
  
"No." He shook his head. "We didn't speak at all."  
  
Katie waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. He's like that all the time." Margaret didn't ask any questions, she knew they were having marital problems. Katie had expressed some of her frustrations while they were in the bathroom. Margaret was determined to take the baby for at least one night, if not just to give Katie and Rick a chance to reconnect.   
  
"You said you ran into your mother." Hawkeye tried to change the subject. "How was that?"   
  
"I don't even know why I bother." Margaret sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.  
  
"That bad?" He kissed the side of her head.  
  
"I left before she could really lay it in." She told him. "But Katie talked to her." Then to her sister she asked. "What were you two talking about?" She couldn't imagine why anyone would talk with her more than they had to.  
  
"Oh, she was just being Mom. Nothing new." Katie wasn't sure she wanted to tell Margaret about what their mother had said about Hawkeye, at least not while he was sitting there. She'd wait until they were alone and in private.  
  
"There never is when it comes to her."  
  
It was then that their food finally came. The waiter placed an entree in front of each them and poured Hawkeye and Margaret each a glass of wine. A few minutes later Rick returned with the carriage and took Janie from Hawkeye. It was then that the four adults sat down to eat.   
  
"What kind of sauce is that?" Margaret pointed to Hawkeye's platter after a few bites of her own dish.  
  
"Pesto." He pushed his plate over and let her eat off it as he reached over her and took a fork full of hers. "You ordered tomato and basil?" He asked as he ate.  
  
"Yeah." She screwed her face in a dissatisfied look. "It's not as good as yours." He shook his head in agreement. Margaret pushed her plate to the side and they started to eat off the same plate.  
  
"How come you always end up eating all my food?" He asked her when she'd gone through half his meal.  
  
"You have good taste." She took another big bite.   
  
Hawkeye laughed. "Now there's a phrase I'd never thought I'd hear you say."  
  
Margaret giggled, that was very true. She didn't even let him go shopping alone. Margaret leaned over and gave him a soft kiss.   
  
Across the table the other couple was watching with very disgusted and shocked expressions.

They had once been in love like that, but now they both changed. They were looking at a picture that once was the two of them and then across the room in separate corners was a picture of what could be them in the future. 

Al and Joan avoided each other as much as possible, and on the few chances that they did get together, they fought. Joan wouldn't have even showed up to the reunion, but she wanted to see her daughters, and it was really the only chance she had to see Margaret. When she heard that Margaret was bringing someone along she decided that she had to go. All she had done was make more of a mess of things, but that never seemed to matter to Joan.

Hawkeye ended up finishing off Margaret's plate while she ate his. He didn't care about the looks he was getting from across the table. It wasn't anything new. They had been getting those kind of looks since they arrived there. The first being from Joan when they were at the airport, and he had to say he was right in guessing that the last would be from whomever saw them last. Not a single one of them could miss a chance at trying to make Margaret feel guilty about what she was doing. But she wasn't doing anything wrong. No one seemed to care about that though.

After the plates were gone it became quiet at the table again. Margaret had moved her chair closer to Hawkeye so she was using him for a backrest instead of the chair. His arm dangled over her shoulders and held her securely making sure he didn't let go. He didn't want anymore of them hurting her. He would have stood up to every one of them, but he needed to give Margaret a chance to do that. She wasn't ready for him to step in either, and if she wasn't ready then all that would have done was cause a fight. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

Margaret had brought up the subject of taking care of the baby for Katie, but she never got a strait answer while they were at the table. Margaret was guessing that it was because Rick was there and Katie didn't even know if he wanted to go out with her anymore. She'd talk to him later and then get back to Margaret. Katie loved her little girl, but she would jump at the chance to be able to go out alone with her husband. Even just to go out alone would have been nice. 

"Its getting late and I have to get home with the baby. Are you ready to go Rick?"

"Yes." He hated being there.

"Will you get the baby?" Rick took Janie into his arms. She had woken up and ate a little bit, but now it was time to get her home and back on her normal routine. She needed a bath and some time to play and then it was off to bed for her. "How long are you two staying?" Katie asked to the engaged couple.

"Not long at all." Hawkeye looked at Margaret. She had had a few more drinks in her and he wanted to get her back to their room before she started to make another scene. They were in a hotel and he didn't want her to be too embarrassed the next day. 

"Maggie, give me a call in the morning and we'll talk about you taking the baby."

"Bye honey," she gave her sister a kiss on the cheek. "Bye." She said to Rick. Looking at the baby she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow sweetheart."

"Bye," Hawkeye said.

The other couple disappeared into the crowd fairly quickly. Once they were out of sight Hawkeye directed his attention back to his fiancé. "Are you ready to go back up to the room?"   
  
She was leaning against him again. "Yeah," she said lazily. "There's no reason to stay down here anyway."  
  
"Okay....." Neither of them moved however, they just sat there and watched the crowd. Margaret's hand had been resting on his knee, but after a few minutes it started moving up his thigh. When it was close enough to almost touch his crotch, Hawkeye decided it was time to go. "Okay, let's go." He stood up then. Knowing her and the way she acted when she was tipsy, it would be best to take her back upstairs. He helped her to her feet and picked up her purse, together they started walking towards the elevator.  
  
"Mmm....." She started giggling when they left the dining room. "Someone wants to play."  
  
Margaret spotted the bar and started walking in the opposite direction. Hawkeye caught her and guided her back towards the lobby. "There's wine upstairs." He told her. At least if she got drunk it would be in private and she wouldn't make another scene.  
  
Margaret went along willingly and let him take her to the elevators. "I know what you want." She whispered to him as they waited. Her hands started to roam again.  
  
Hawkeye pulled them off and held them with his hands. "Your family is all around here." He hissed.  
  
"I don't give a damn." She wrapped her arms around his waist.

Hawkeye held her close. "Yes you do." He didn't want her hands to roam too much so he rubbed her back comfortingly. She usually stood still when he did that. 

"No I don't. My father didn't even come and talk to me. Why should I care?"

He knew that she was very hurt by that. He had been there, but he never once made a move to talk to his daughter. If that man knew how much he meant to Margaret, he would feel like dirt knowing how much he hurt her. Margaret hadn't said anything all night about that, but Hawkeye saw her looking over at him wanting Al to come over. He broke her heart and for that Hawkeye hated him. "I know you still care."

Margaret's feisty mood changed to one of depression as quick as those words came out. "I hate him," she said sadly.

"No you don't, honey."

"Why didn't he talk to me?"

"I don't know. I'm sure it wasn't you. It was me."

Margaret looked into his eyes. "You and me come as a set."

He smiled and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "He'll come around. And so will your mother."

Margaret laid her head against his chest. "She's a bitch. I just want my father to be happy for me. I love him so much."

"I know you do, baby." The door opened and Hawkeye pealed her off his chest. He took her hand as they walked to the room. "They just need time."

"I don't know about that. They need more than that."

"Maybe."

"I need a drink," she said as she waited at the door for Hawkeye to unlock it.

"What you need is a good night's sleep."

"No, I really need a drink." Hawkeye unlocked the door and held it open for her. She walked in before him and made for the mini bar.  
  
"Why don't we just blow off tomorrow?" He called to her as he latched the door. "You and I could find our own beach."  
  
"We can't just take off; I promised Katie we'd go." She poured herself a short of vodka.   
  
Hawkeye walked into the living area and threw his jacket on the couch and sat down. "Well, what time do we have to be there?"  
  
"It starts at three, but Katie wanted to have breakfast."  
  
"Breakfast?" He took of his shoes. "That means getting up."  
  
Margaret downed her shot. "We can't sleep all day."  
  
"Well, I am." He told her. "You and your sister need some time to yourselves. Let me stay here and sleep."  
  
"But you have to come with me; I can't be down there all alone." She walked over to him and sat on his lap. "I need you." She kissed him.  
  
Hawkeye knew what she was doing, it wasn't going to work. "You've been handling them for the past twenty-nine years; I think you can handle them for an hour more."  
  
Margaret kissed him again, but this time deeper. Her hand moved down and sought him out. "If I see my mother one more time," she said against his lips. "I'll strangle her."

"She's not going. It'll be just you and Katie."

"How do you know?" She kissed him again.

"Because I was sitting right next to you when you were talking about it."

"Oh, that's right. But don't you want to go with me?" She looked at him pouting a little bit.

A smile spread across his face. "Not for breakfast. You come and wake me up after you're done."

"Please," she begged.

"I'm sleeping in. You know I don't like to get up before ten."

"Fine. You're no fun." She kissed him again.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately. "You are though." He laid her on the couch and got on top of her. She smiled up at him and he kissed those smiling lips. "We'll deal with all the problems tomorrow."

She nodded wrapping her arms around his neck. "Tonight...we have fun."

"Oh yeah!"

She giggled and rolled him onto the floor falling on top of him. "I want you to make me feel good. Do you think you can do that again?"

"Margaret, I can go all day."

She ground her hips into him. "I'm counting on all night."

Hawkeye grinned and gave her a mischievous look, he growled and rolled her onto her side. "I'm going to hold you to that." He whispered as he reached around and pulled her zipper down.   
  
"God, I hope so." She kissed his neck.  
  
He slipped the straps of her dress off her shoulders and moved to kiss her collarbone. "Do you want to move?" He asked before he got too into it.   
  
"No." She breathed.  
  
"I don't want to give you a burn once we get into it." He pulled more of the dress down

"A burn?"

"A rug burn." He kissed her chest moving her dress down.

She smiled and moved to unbutton his shirt. "I'll be fine. You're the one who should be worrying."

"Oh?" He moved out of her grip and pulled the dress all the way off of her and tossed it to the side. "In that case maybe we should move." He kissed her and pressed his body against hers. 

Margaret pulled his shirt off of his shoulders and threw it somewhere in the room. "I hate clothes!"

"Someone's in a hurry." He moved down her body kissing all the way. When he got to her waist his hands pulled down her panties, but then he was in too much of a hurry and ripped them.

"You're lucky that was an old pair." He laughed at her and moved to kiss her again. "Take your clothes off," she breathed as he kissed down her neck. She couldn't take it anymore and needed to feel his whole body against hers.

"Sounds like someone else is in a hurry too."

Margaret reached up and gave him a sultry kiss. "I need to feel you." She told him hoarsely. Hawkeye got her drift and sat up.   
  
"I thought this was your favorite part." He teased her as he started undressing. He was removing his socks at a painfully slow pace.  
  
"Oh God Hawkeye!" She cried, she was losing her patience fast. Hawkeye grinned and removed his belt. He unzipped his pants and took them off. When he was left in his boxers he moved back over to her. He was greeted with a passionate and needy kiss. Her hands moved through his hair and down his back. "Get these off." She said breathlessly as she tugged at the waistband of his underwear. Hawkeye lifted up and helped her to remove them. As soon as he was naked she pulled him back down to her, pressing his naked body against her own.  
  
"You can't go to breakfast now." He said when they broke from kissing. They were already breathing hard.  
  
"Why?" She panted and then pulled him down for another kiss.  
  
When they broke apart again he answered, "I'm going to make love to you all night. You're not going to have the strength to get off this floor." A grin spread across his face. "I'm sure your sister would notice if you showed up tired and sore."

"I may be tired tomorrow, but you'll be the one that's sore." She pulled him back down on her kissing him.

"Is...that...so?" He asked between kisses.

  
"Uh huh."

He ground himself against her. "I don't think so. I've got some staying power now."

"I can go all night," she shot back.

Hawkeye moved the coffee table out of the way so they had more room. He didn't want to be banging himself off of the hard wooden table. There was something else that he would rather be banging at the moment. "We'll see about that."

She smiled at him and rolled him over so he was on his back. He always talked a big game, and although he was very good, she could always outlast him. He would fall asleep in a matter of a few minutes, but he always made sure she was satisfied before he did that. She didn't have any complaints. 

**********

It was two nice long hours later that they somehow found their way to the bedroom. Hawkeye fell asleep with his head on his fiancé's chest. Margaret stayed awake for a few more minutes playing with his soft black hair. Soon she joined him in slumber. 

It had been two long days for her and the only time she felt like herself was when she was with him. No wonder why she didn't want anything to do with the rest of them. Staying in the room all day was a nice though, but she knew she couldn't that. It wouldn't be right. As angry as she was at some of them, they were still her family. She knew that if she could get her father to accept her choice of husband then the rest would follow. Even if they didn't, she didn't care as long as her father wasn't among them.

**********

Hawkeye opened his eyes to find that it was still dark out. He lay still for a moment trying to think of where he was. His head didn't feel like it was on a pillow, but it did feel like something familiar. That's when he picked his head up and looked to see that he was on Margaret's bare chest. He grinned remembering that they had both said they could go all night. He climbed on top of her so his legs were on either side of her body and placed kissed from the center of her neck down to her breast bone. He looked up to see her reaction and all she had done was groan, but she was still sleeping. He smiled to himself and then kissed her left breast and then the right one. Still no response. Then he took her breast in his mouth and started to suck on it. That caused a reaction to come from her.

Hawkeye felt a hand sift through his hair and gently scratch his scalp. He knew she wasn't fully conscious, but her hand was encouraging. He sucked gently as she idly caressed his neck and shoulders. Her chest moved beneath him as he continued to apply his ministrations, her deep breathing was a good sign that she was starting to come around.   
  
Finally Hawkeye was rewarded with a deep throated moan of satisfaction. He moved his lips from her breast and let his fingers take their place as she drew him closer and kissed him deeply. Her arms moved to his neck as he moved further on top of her so his body enveloped hers. They kissed passionately for a few minutes as they wrapped their arms around one another and settled into a comfortable position.  
  
"I won." She whispered when they parted lips.  
  
Hawkeye moved lower to plant a kiss below her ear. "It's still dark." He muttered softly. His hand moved beneath the sheet to caress her thigh.  
  
"You fell asleep first." She told him with a soft moan of approval.  
  
"But the night isn't over yet. That was just a nap." Margaret didn't argue, his hand was moving along her ribcage in the most tantalizing manner. He had wonderful hands and knew just how to use them to her advantage. She melted every time he touched her. "I meant it when I said all night." He was parting her legs so he could slip between them.

"Good," she said letting him settle himself. She wanted some more foreplay before she was going to let him get anywhere else. He moved into kiss her again and again. He rubbed his body up and down hers making sure she could feel all of him. After ten minutes of foreplay she was ready for him. She opened her legs to him and let him take his favorite place. 

*****

Margaret opened her eyes to the ringing of the telephone. She groaned knowing it had to be her sister. No one else had the number. She moved out from underneath her sleeping fiancé and picked up the phone. 

"I'm awake."

"Good," Katie said. "I'll meet you in twenty minutes."

"Bye."

Margaret hung up the phone and closed her eyes again. Hawkeye was right when he said he was going to make her tired and sore. She took a deep breath and made herself get out of bed and into the shower. Hawkeye didn't wake up at all and she knew that he wouldn't. He could sleep through anything, and he was also used to the sounds of her getting ready for work in the morning.

Twenty minutes later Margaret was dressed and ready to go to breakfast. It was a good thing it was just Katie, she couldn't handle seeing anyone else. When she left Hawkeye was still sleeping, but now he had moved further beneath the sheets and was holding onto a pillow. She wished she could have joined him, but Katie was expecting her.  
  
As soon as Margaret got off the elevator she spotted her sister. Katie was waiting for her in the lobby.  
  
"Hi." Margaret smiled sleepily as she walked up to her sister.  
  
"Hey." They started walking towards the door. "You look tired."  
  
"Yeah, I didn't sleep very well." She yawned.  
  
"What happened?" Katie asked. "Bed too hard?" 

"No, the bed was just fine."

"Well, what's the matter then?"

"Just couldn't sleep. Where are we going to eat?"

"I know of a place around the corner that we could walk to. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine." For the first time since she had been there Margaret actually felt comfortable. She was in a pair of jeans and a very casual shirt. "What did you do with the baby?"

"Ah," Katie smiled. "I fed her and handed her over to Rick. He can spend some time with her this morning. It's not going to kill him."

"Good."

"Yeah. I'm really sorry about last night. I know we made you and Hawkeye uncomfortable."

Margaret waved her hand to dismiss that. "It's okay. No harm done."

"Its not always like this. We're just having some problems."

"I can see that," Margaret said as they stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Well...things are just..."

"You don't have to explain it to me, Katie. It's your marriage, not mine."

"I know, but can't I talk to you about it? I want to. I need to."

Margaret glanced over there and smiled. "You can always talk to me."

"Good. Now, about taking Janie for us..."

"Yes?"

"Rick and I talked about it and we want to take you up on that offer. Janie loves you and she's taken to Hawkeye very well. I'm assuming Hawkeye will be with you too."

"Yes." She smiled.

"Do you two ever fight?"

Margaret almost chocked on her laughter. "We fight everyday. About every little thing."

Katie smiled. "How do you get along so well? Rick and I were never like you two are."

"We don't fight about the big things. Like right now...here at this reunion. I've treated Hawk like dirt a few times because I've been so upset about things, but he knows that and lets me go through my emotions. I apologize and he tells me he understands. Don't get me wrong, he's not a saint by any means. He does some things that really piss me off, but we pick our battles."

"Rick and I aren't even happy anymore."

"What happened?"

Katie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess it started when Janie was born."  
  
Margaret looked at her sister. "What do you mean? I don't follow."  
  
"Well, having the baby just complicated things. I spent all of my energy and time taking care of Janie. By the time I had a moment to myself all I wanted to do was sleep."  
  
"And it didn't leave much room for Rick." Margaret finished her sentence. She had suspected that's what it was, Rick was feeling neglected.  
  
Katie nodded. "I'm afraid things still haven't gotten better. It's be such a long time since we've.....uh.....you know."  
  
Margaret almost laughed, she didn't think her sister's situation was funny, but when she thought about Hawkeye she found it amusing. They'd made love five times the day before and she knew he would still be itching to get his hands on her when she got back. Even when they were at home they found regular time to be together. "You guys just need some time alone together." She said.  
  
"I hope you're right." Katie stuffed her hands into her pockets.  
  
"I'm sure he's just feeling neglected. He'll come around." Margaret told her younger sister with an encouraging smile.  
  
They found the place and Katie opened the door. "Are you sure you want to get married?" She teased. "You don't really know someone until you've lived with them."

"Oh, I think I know him better than you think I do."

Katie looked at her sister oddly. "What do you mean?"

"We're not like most people. We've been in war together. We lived fifteen feet apart, sometimes less, for three years in Korea."

"Yeah, that's right." Katie looked at the hostess. "Two non-smoking please."

"Right this way."

When they were seated they continued their conversation. "Believe me, we've seen the best and worst in each other and we're still in love."

"I envy you," Katie said to her sister.

"It'll get better. Like you said, you just need time alone; time to focus on each other. That's all Hawk and I have right now. We don't have a baby to work into the mix."

"Not yet anyway," Katie smiled.

"One day...in the future. Right now there are too many other things to worry about."

"Like what?" Katie couldn't think of anything. Right now her own life seemed more complicated and messed up. 

"Well for starters, getting Daddy to talk to me and Mom to stop talking to me."

Katie laughed. "When you figure out how to get Mom to stop talking, let me know."

"Okay," Margaret smiled. "Then there's the army, getting married, moving. I'm sure we'll end up in Maine or somewhere close by."

"You said that's where he's from right?"

"Yes." Margaret looked up at the waitress as she came over and put down two glasses of water and gave them some menus. "Thank you."

"Can I get you some coffee?"

"Please," they both said.

"I'll be right back."

"Have you been to Maine?"

"Uh huh. We went up there to meet his father."

"Really? What's he like?"

"He's a nice man. He wasn't what I was expecting."

"An Italian man living in Maine. Somehow that strikes me as odd."

"No, he's not Italian. That's Hawkeye's mother."

"What's she like?" Katie wanted to know what his family was like. Hawkeye seemed like such a good person and she was curious how he came out so well.

"His mother? She passed away when he was boy."

"Oh. That's horrible."

"He never talks about her. I'm guessing that they were very close. He's an only child and she took care of him. He said he and his father never became close until after his mother died."

"Are they still close?"

"Very close."

The coffee came and then they ordered their food. They were both starving and knew exactly what they wanted. After last night Margaret was starving. Hawkeye really did succeed in his mission. 

"What about you? Did you like his family?"

"They're nice, but I don't think they liked me very much. But they weren't mean to me like our family is to Hawkeye."

"I know. They want to eat him alive."

"They're in for a real surprise if they try." Margaret smiled. There was no way Hawkeye would let anyone walk all over him. She was just waiting for one of them to cross the line with him. "Did you and Rick decide when you want to go out?"

"Ah...what about tonight? Is that okay with you?"

Margaret looked at the pleading look on her sister's face and knew she couldn't say anything but yes. "Of course, tonight is fine." She smiled.  
  
"You and Hawkeye didn't have plans, did you?"  
  
Margaret shook her head. "No." She said in sort of a flat tone. Margaret didn't have a problem with watching Janie and neither did Hawkeye, she just knew he was going to be hard to control.  
  
"Great." Katie beamed. She'd been looking forward to spending an evening alone with her husband.   
  
Margaret took a sip of her coffee and closed her eyes. She wanted nothing more then to be back in bed and curl up with Hawkeye. Every muscle in her body was stiff; she'd have given anything for one of his massages.   
  
Finally the food came and Margaret opened her eyes. The waitress set down their plates in front of them and refilled their coffee. "I'll bring by the baby's things later on." Katie had been talking to her but she hadn't been listening.  
  
"You could just bring them along to the beach and we could take them from there, it wouldn't be worth it for you to drive all that way back to the hotel." Margaret started picked up her fork and started eating hurriedly.  
  
"Nonsense, it's no trouble at all."

Margaret really didn't want her to stop by. She knew that she would want to come up to the room and that wouldn't be good. She wasn't ashamed that she and Hawkeye lived together or that they were staying together. The problem was it would cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. "No, we'll take her and her things from the beach. That's fine."

"No, because she's going to have to eat dinner and I'll need to feed her."

"Well, don't you pump some milk?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you just give me a few bottles of it?"

Katie smiled. "That's why I need to go home. It has to stay cool and taking it to the beach with us wouldn't do that. I'll bring her by. I want to borrow something of yours."

"You do? What?" Margaret took a bite of food.

"One of your dresses. You said you went shopping the other day, right?" Margaret nodded. "I don't want to go out and buy a dress that I'm only going to wear once, so I wanted to borrow one of yours. You don't mind, do you?"

"No. Come by a little early and we can look and see what I have." Margaret gave in before Katie started to think anything was suspicious. 

"Okay. It'll just be me and the baby though."

"Good. Make sure you tell me the baby's schedule."

"I will." Katie smiled thinking about her night without the baby. "I'm so excited. This could be the start of good things. I don't know what we'll do once you go back home. I don't have anyone I trust enough to leave my little girl with."

"I'm sure you'll find someone." Margaret's mind was wandering thinking about how she could prevent Katie from finding out that Hawkeye was sleeping in her room with her. She was only half listening to her sister. 

"So when do you think I could come up?" Katie asked, rousing Margaret from her thoughts.   
  
Margaret looked up in alarm. "Well...uh...it's quite messy right now." There were clothes scattered all through the room and a very disgruntled and very naked man sleeping in her bed.  
  
"Oh that's fine. I have to go home soon and collect the baby from Rick. He's not used to being alone with her for so long." Katie finished off the last of her coffee and wiped her mouth. "Then I'll be over."  
  
Margaret didn't say anything for a moment, she was too busy thinking. "Okay," she said finally.

The two of them sat there for a while longer eating a talking.  Mostly Margaret's mind was on the man that was back in the hotel room lying comfortable on a big king sized bed all alone.  She wanted to be with him more than anything.  As soon as she left breakfast with her sister she hurried back to the hotel room and got back into bed with her fiancé.  


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6  
  
Margaret woke up about an hour and a half later. She could have slept longer, but sleeping alone was something she hadn't grown accustomed to. Margaret opened her eyes and lifted her head when she realized the bed was empty. Looking around the room she discovered she was completely alone. Margaret got out bed and walked out into the living room in search of her fiancé.  
  
She found him sitting at the small breakfast table with his feet propped up. He was reading the morning newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee. When she entered the room he looked up and smiled at her. "Hey."  
  
Margaret rubbed her eyes and stretched. "Hi," she smiled back. His hair was ruffled and he was sitting there in a pair of the boxer briefs she had bought him. "How long have you been up?"  
  
Hawkeye set down his newspaper and took his feet off the table. "Not too long." Margaret walked over to him and gave him a kiss. "Did you go to breakfast?"  
  
"Yeah." She sat down on his lap and kissed him again. "It was okay."  
  
"Only okay?" He asked.  
  
Margaret cuddled up against him. "I was too busy being envious of you."  
  
"Tired?" He grinned; he could feel her relaxing against him.  
  
"I feel a little better after taking that nap."  
  
"We can take another before we go." He told her.  
  
Margaret groaned. "I wish."  
  
"Why? We' don't have to be there until three."  
  
"Katie and the baby are coming by soon." She sat up.

"Should I be here?" 

"I don't want you to go anywhere." She got up and grabbed a cup and poured herself some coffee.

"Please don't drink that black."

She smiled. "Stop being a baby. This is how I like it."

He turned his head as she took a sip. He couldn't stand his coffee black. "You're so gross."

"We have to get this place cleaned up. Katie will be here and I don't want her to know that we're staying together."

"Why? I don't think she would care."

"No. Go get in the shower and I'll clean up."

"Fine." He stood up. "You know I don't like to take a shower without you."

"Too bad. You need a shower and need to be dressed and cleaned like you are just here to visit with me."

"Okay." He downed the rest of his coffee and gave her a kiss. "You might want to fix yourself up a little too. You look like hell."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks a lot."

"Well, you didn't want me to lie did you?" He asked on his way out of the room.  

"Yes!" She yelled back. "How in the hell does he go from, 'You're the love of my life and more beautiful than anything,' last night to, 'you look like hell'?" She mumbled to herself. "Men!"

Margaret looked around the room, there were clothes scattered all over the place, furniture had been moved, and the room was in shambles. She moved the coffee table back into place and straitened the cushions on the couch before picking up the discarded clothing.  
  
Hawkeye tried to shower as quickly as he could. He could tell she was already beginning to stress out and didn't want to do anything to aggravate her any more. It would have been so much nicer if they could have just spent the day in bed.   
  
After he had washed and shaved he walked out into the bedroom to see her sitting on the bed folding clothes. "What are you doing?" He asked as he dried his hair.  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" She snapped. "I need to get all these clothes folded and put away."  
  
"Is there anything that you want me to do?" He walked over to the door and pulled out his jeans.  
  
"Yes, you can make the bed." She was almost done putting the clothes away. All she needed to do now was to figure out how to hide his suit case. Hawkeye turned around and put on a clean shirt, Margaret's eyes widened. "You can't wear those jeans!"  
  
"Why?" He didn't see anything wrong with them.  
  
"You need to look nice! She can't see you looking like that!"

Hawkeye looked down at his pants. "I love these."

"Honey, please let's not do this again. I don't even like when you wear them at home. I just tolerate it."

"But Margaret, we're not going anywhere."

"Listen to me, you're supposed to be dressed and ready to go. You came from your room to see me and meet me to go to the beach."

"So I should be wearing shorts?"

"No!"

Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "You're not making any sense."

"You said I could dress you while we're here."

He sighed. She was right. He did agree to that. "Fine." He pulled his pants off and stood in the middle of the room with his arms spread. "Dress me."

She smiled a little bit only because she couldn't hold it in. She grabbed a nice pair of pants and tossed them to him. He didn't even try to catch them; he let them fall to the floor. "What are you doing?"

"Dress me."

"Hawkeye!"

"Margaret!" He mocked her.

She walked over and picked up his clean pants. "Put them on, and I'll let you undress me later on."

He grinned and grabbed the pants. "Deal."

"You're worse than a kid."

That made something click in his head. "Wait...is Janie spending the night tonight?"

She looked back at him. "Yes."

"Then what am I supposed to do? You're not making me get another room, are you?"

"No, of course not! I wouldn't do that." She tossed a small bag of his things into the closet. "Did you clean up the bathroom? I don't want Katie to see all your things in there."

"Yeah. I threw it all in the drawer."

"Good. Now hurry up and make the bed please."

Hawkeye did as she asked and made the bed. He would have preferred to wait for the maid so she could change the sheets, but they didn't have time for that. Margaret brushed her hair and finished getting dressed before she double checked the room, making sure all of his belongings were out of sight.  When she was confident that they could get away with it she finally started to calm down.  
  
"Margaret, I'm not sure about these clothes." He was looking at himself in the mirror. "We're going to the beach, not out to lunch."  
  
"You can't be in my hotel room half naked." She told him.  
  
"But don't you think this is taking it too far?"  
  
"No." She sat down on the bed.  
  
"What about when we do go to the beach, are you going to have me bundled up then too?"  
  
"Don't be silly, you'll wear your new shorts and a t-shirt."  
  
"T-shirt?" He turned and looked at her. "We're going swimming."  
  
"You can't walk around shirtless."  
  
"Sure I can, it's the beach."  
  
"I don't want my family seeing you half naked." She pointed out.  
  
"Half naked?! It's just my chest. Is there something wrong with the way I look?"

"No," she said immediately. "My whole family just doesn't need to see you like that."

"That is taking it too far."

"Hawk, please."

"No. We'll talk about this later, but I'm not going swimming with a damn shirt on. Its 96 degrees out there."

She stood up and walked out to the living area to look around. Hawkeye followed her to see what she was doing. She picked up a pair of his socks that were in there on the floor. "Maybe you shouldn't be here."

"What?!"

"Maybe you should show up after Katie gets here."

"No!" How could she say that? He was beginning to feel like she didn't care about his feelings. Why would she ask him to leave? It was just Katie that was coming.

Margaret opened her mouth to say something, but that was when she heard a knock at the door. She threw the socks into the bedroom and shut the door. "Sit down and act like you just got here. Do something!" Hawkeye rolled his eyes. Margaret opened the door with a smile plastered across her face. "Hi."

"Hi." Katie handed the baby over. She had her hands full and needed to put something down. "We're a little early."

"That's okay."

Katie put down two bags by the door. "Hi Hawk. What are you doing here?"

He smiled and stood up. "I wanted to see the baby. I hear Margaret's going to be taking care of her later tonight."

"Yes. Will you be here?"

"Oh, I'm sure we'll have dinner together." Hawkeye shot Margaret a look. She was too stressed out about things and was making him mad. "Then I'll just head back to my room for the night."

Katie smiled. "I'm glad you're here. I can get to know you a little better." 

Hawkeye glared at Margaret, she was being awfully quiet. "I'm afraid I won't be staying long."  
  
"Oh?"   
  
"Yeah, I have some things I need to do." Hawkeye avoided looking at her face; he didn't have to look at her to know what her reaction was.  
  
"Well, that's too bad." Katie sounded sad to she him go.  
  
"What do you have to do?!" Margaret suddenly cut in. How could just leave her like that? He didn't have anywhere to go.  
  
"Oh," he pretended to think. "I need to make some phone calls, do a little bit of packing..." He could have said something more cutting but held is tongue. "I'll find something to keep me occupied." He forced a fake smile. "Besides, you don't need me here if you're going to be trying on clothes. This is more of a ladies thing, it would be better if I left."  
  
Margaret glared at him again. "Are you sure?" She said through gritted teeth.  
  
"I really should be leaving." He walked over to her and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later sweetheart." Margaret didn't say anything, she just smiled back.

Katie looked around the place and was surprised to see how big it was. "Margaret, this place is beautiful. How could you ever afford it on what the army pays you?"

"I can't," she said looking back at the door Hawkeye just shut. 

"Did Hawkeye get this for you?" Margaret nodded. "I'd marry him if I was you."

Margaret gave a fake smile. "Yeah." Her mind was on Hawkeye. She couldn't understand why he would leave like that. She told him he could stay. She wanted him to stay and get to know her sister and the baby. After all Janie would be spending the night with them. 

"You must have a refrigerator, right?"

"Yes," Margaret pointed to the bar. "Its in there."

Katie picked up the baby's diaper bag and walked over there. "I'll put her bottles in here. Do you have a way to heat them up?"

"Yes. There's a hot plat in here too."

"Good. She doesn't like to wait for her meals."

"Okay. I don't blame her."

Katie smiled. "Where's Hawkeye's room?"

Margaret looked away so her face wouldn't give away anything. "I don't know. I've only been in here."

"Ah. I'm sure he's not too far away. The way you two are I'm surprised you're not married already."

"Yeah." Margaret wanted to avoid that topic as much as possible. "Where's Rick?"

"He said he's going to meet us at the beach. I'm really looking forward to getting this over with."

"Me too. Will Dad be there?"

"As far as I know. Have you talked to him yet?"

"No. I came back here and went to sleep after breakfast. I didn't do anything." She didn't want to mention cleaning up the place or her fight with Hawkeye.

"Where are those dresses?"

Margaret had thrown a bunch of Hawkeye's things into the closet and she didn't want Katie to see them. "I'll get them for you."

"No, I want to see what you have." Ever since they were kids Katie always liked to go through her sister's clothes. 

"Can you give me a few minutes? I haven't had the time to straiten up." Margaret needed just a few minutes to move his things.  
  
"You don't have to, I don't mind if it's messy."   
  
"No," Margaret objected. "I really should. I'll only be a minute." She handed the baby back to her sister.  
  
"Okay." She said as she settled the baby on her hip.   
  
Margaret walked off quickly and disappeared into the bedroom. She shut the door behind her and rushed over to the closet where she pulled out his bags. At first she tried to fit them under the bed, but they were too big. In the end she resorted to sticking them in the shower and shielding them from view. Satisfied that Katie wouldn't see them, she walked back out to the living room. "Okay, it's safe." She announced.  
  
"It's about time." Katie exaggerated with a smile.   
  
"I'm afraid I don't have too much of a selection." Margaret allowed her to walk into the room ahead of her.  
  
"Oh anything would be fine."  
  
"Are you guys going out?"  
  
"No, we're going to stay home. It's been a long time since we've spent a quiet evening alone." She said cheerfully.  
  
"Sounds nice." Her tone was less than enthusiastic. Margaret sat on the corner of the bed and held Janie while her sister looked through her closet. Seeing how things were going, she wasn't sure how her night would pan out.

Katie sifted through the clothes pulling the dresses that she liked. All she wanted was something that made her look sexy again. She hadn't felt sexy since well before the baby was born. That was partly because the way she felt about how she looked and partly because Rick didn't make her feel sexy anymore. She was hoping that tonight would be the first step in changing that. Of anyone, she knew her sister would have something. Margaret always tended to wear things that flattered her; even when she was younger. 

"I'm going to try some of these on." Katie picked up some dresses from the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To change in the bathroom."

"No," Margaret stood up. "You change in here and the baby and I will go out in the living area and find something to do. The full length mirror is in here."

"Okay."

Margaret and Janie went out to the living area. Normally at home there would be a half a dozen things that Margaret would find to do and she could have now if she wanted, but she looked into the chubby innocent face of the baby in her arms and knew what she wanted to do most of all. She grabbed the baby's bag and then they sat in the middle of the living room floor. Margaret laid Janie on her belly and she reached for the toys that Margaret was getting out. Margaret played with her niece while Katie was trying things on. It was relaxing playing with the baby. Hawkeye was in the back of her mind, but being in the moment with the baby was wonderful.

"Maggie," Katie came out of the room. "What do you think of this one?"

Margaret looked up at her sister. "Ah...try another one." She could see that Katie was uncomfortable in it.

"Okay. How are you two doing?"

"Fine," she smiled looking back at the baby. "Right Janie? Tell Mommy we're playing."

Janie giggled and reached out to the toy Margaret was holding in her hands. Margaret set it down in front of her and watched as she moved to touch it, reaching with her chubby little arms. Katie smiled at her daughter. "I'm going to try on another one." She told her sister as she walked back into the bedroom.  
  
A couple dresses later Katie had finally found one she liked. It was sexy, but it didn't show too much skin. She liked that it was revealing but still made her look classy. "I can't thank you enough Margaret." Katie was saying after she had changed back into her clothes. "I know taking care of Janie is a lot to ask."  
  
"Not at all, I'm just happy you agreed."

"You have no idea what this means to me."

Margaret smiled. "I'm looking forward to taking care of her. Are you leaving soon?"

"Yes. We have to get home."

"What time will you be at the beach?"

"Janie needs to eat lunch and then she'll be down for her nap, so we'll be there around two."

"You're so lucky. Can we change places?"

Katie smiled and sat down on the couch. "You can use her for an excuse when you leave. She can't stay out in the sun too long. You'll have to get her back here or at least somewhere inside."

"I like the way you think."

"I'm so glad that you came. This whole thing would have been hell without you."

Margaret smiled. She wasn't sure if she was happy about that or not. She had somehow managed to get her entire family mad at her, and now Hawkeye was mad too. The only good thing that seemed to come from the whole trip was that she got to know her niece and be with her sister. "Well," she said. "Hopefully tonight will be good for both of us. You get to have a night alone, and I get to spend time with the cutest baby in the world." She smiled at Janie.

"We should get going."

"Okay." Just then there was a knock at the door. Margaret didn't know who that could be. She handed the baby over to her sister and went to the door. When she looked out she saw Hawkeye. She opened it and let him in. "Hi."

"Hi."

He looked in and saw Katie. "Hi Katie."

"Hawkeye, we're just leaving. Why do we seem to always catch each other in passing?"

Hawkeye smiled. "I think your sister wants to keep us apart."

"Probably."

"I do not," Margaret stepped in. 

Katie smiled and stood up grabbing the diaper bag and settling the baby in her arms. "We'll see you in a few hours." She kissed Margaret on the cheek and then Hawkeye. "Bye."

"Bye." Margaret said. "And don't be too late!" Katie smiled over her shoulder and walked out. Margaret shut the door behind her and looked at Hawkeye. "Where did you go?"

"What do you care just as long as I was gone?"

Margaret sighed. "You know that's not true."  
  
"Oh it's not?" He shot back. "You made it pretty clear before that you didn't want me here."  
  
"I never said that."  
  
"You didn't have to." He said coolly and walked past her, leaving her standing by the door. Margaret followed him and watched him from the doorway. He was taking off his clothes.   
  
"I really wanted you here." She said.  
  
"Yeah right, that's why you kept jumping down my throat. If you haven't figured it out by now Margaret, I'm not the enemy!"   
  
"Hawkeye..."   
  
"I have stood by you through this whole damn trip! I didn't have to come, but I did. I came because I love you!"

"I know, but..."

"But nothing! Maybe it's good that we came, I don't know. At least I know how little you really care."

Her eyes widened. "That's not true!"

"What am I supposed to think? One minute you don't want me here or want me to lie and then the next minute you're asking for me to take you home and take you away from all of this. You push me away."

"Hawk..."

He walked into the bathroom and opened the drawer where all his things were. "You don't know what you want. I'll meet you at home and maybe you can figure out what you want." He tossed everything into a bag and walked back into the bedroom. "Unless you don't want me there either." He looked in his closet. "Where the hell are my things? Did you throw them out already?"

"NO!" She yelled. "Would you shut up?! You're raving mad!"

"Don't tell me to shut up! Now where are my things?"

"I'm not telling you."

He whipped around and glared at her. "Fine. I'll just take this. I'll see you back in Virginia. Maybe."

Margaret grabbed him by the arm. "Wait."

"No," he moved out of her grip. He picked up the pair of pants that were on the floor. "You think about what you want."

"I know what I want!"

He looked into her eyes waiting for her to tell him that she was leaving him. But she didn't say anything. "Well?"

She walked over to him and looked up into his eyes. "I want you. I've always wanted you. I'm sorry."

"How many times have you said that? You treat me like shit and then apologize. Its not going to work this time."

Without waiting for her to respond he turned his back to her and went on with gathering his things. He loved Margaret more than anything, but he wasn't going to sit there and let himself be abused any longer. Hawkeye wanted to be with her, but he wasn't so sure she wanted to be with him.   
  
"I know I've been unfair by taking all my frustrations out on you," Margaret told him as she watched him.   
  
"No shit," he muttered as he leafed through his wallet.  
  
"I didn't mean it; you're the last person I wanted to hurt. You're the only person who understands me, you're the only one who really matters," she said desperately. "Please, don't leave me. I need you; I can't do this on my own."  
  
"You need me?" He suddenly looked at her. "The only thing you need me for is to kick around because no one else will let you."

"Hawkeye," she stomped in frustration. "That's not true. I said I'm sorry. You know that I love you more than anything in the world. What do I have to do to make you see that?"

He looked her in the eye and said simply. "Treat me like you do."

She was on the verge of letting the tears fall. She didn't want to lose him. "I...I don't know what to do."

He wanted more than anything to hold her in his arms and let her cry, but he didn't. "Yes you do."

She took a deep breath to try to keep the tears from falling. "I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to say. 

"You've said that over and over."

"What do you want me to say?"

He looked away and went back to packing his things. "I don't know." 

"Please stop." It was breaking her heart to see him do that.

"Why? You don't like feeling like you're not wanted. Not needed...not loved?!"

She couldn't hold back anymore and the tears started to spill down her cheeks. Hawkeye had to look away and was kicking himself for doing that to her. "I...I...I'm sorry! I di...did...didn't mean to...to make you feel that way." She said in between sobs.

Hawkeye clenched his jaw. Now he was angry at himself. Had he been too hard on her? He did have a tendency to go overboard, but he never made her cry before. "I know you didn't."

"I love you so much."

"I know you do." Now he felt like an ass. How could he make the woman he loved more than life itself cry?

She looked at him trying to read what he was going to do. Normally she could, but she couldn't at the moment. "Please don't go."

Hawkeye sighed and put his things down on the floor. He couldn't let her feel like that any longer. He walked over to her and took her into his arms. "I'll stay."

She cried harder holding onto him tight. Her greatest fear had almost come true. She thought she was going to lose him. "I'm s...s...sorry."

He stroked her hair gently. "Sshh, I know you are. Calm down. I'm sorry too."

"No," she sobbed. "It's me. It's my fault."

"No," he whispered as he rubbed her back. "It's not you."  
  
Margaret was crying into his shoulder. "Ye...yes...it...it is..." She stammered through her tears.   
  
"No," he told her again. Margaret was crying too hard for words. She held him tighter and buried her face in his neck. "I know you, and this is not it." Then rather hatefully he said, "If it's anyone's fault, it's that damn family of yours."

"I...I...I'm sor..."

"Oh, honey, stop it. I love you not your family. Its you I want to be with."

"Really?" She managed to get out. 

"Yes." He pulled back and wiped some tears from her face. "Why are you so worked up about all of this?"

"You...I...and...ah..." She couldn't find the words to speak.

He smiled and hugged her to him. "Maybe we should talk later." She nodded her head. "Why don't I do the talking?" She nodded again. "Okay." He tried to move out of her grip a little bit but that only caused her hang on tighter. "Why don't we just stay here like this?" He held onto her again. "I know you love me and I love you. You know that right?" She nodded. "Today we need to change some things. I'm not letting them walk all over you. I'm sick of standing on the side lines while they treat you like that. It stops today."  Margaret nodded again. Her sobbing calmed and she relaxed in his arms. She was so tired. Between the stress, lack of sleep and all the emotions she had been fighting, all she wanted to do was sleep.  
  
Hawkeye rubbed her back for a little while longer as they stood in the middle of the room. He wanted to shoot himself for acting the way he did, for making her cry and threatening to leave her. She was so vulnerable and he had taken advantage of it to get his way. Hawkeye felt so terrible, he didn't know how he'd ever make it up to her.  
  
He tried to get her to loosen her grip, but she refused to move. After deciding it was useless, he moved down and locked his arms under her legs and buttocks and picked her up.

"What are you doing?" She asked. She didn't fight it, she just held onto him.

"Bringing you to bed."

"I can't." Her eyes were closed. "We have..."

"Sshh. We'll go, but we'll go late. You need some rest."

"No."

He laid her on the bed. "Don't argue with me."

She looked up at him. Her eyes and face red from crying. "Please don't go."

"I'm not," he smiled.

"I mean lay down with me."

He climbed over top of her and got behind her and held her close in his arms. She turned around so she was facing him and buried her face in his chest. All she wanted to do was feel him and be with him. Nothing else mattered. He held her tight like she wanted. Before he knew it she was sound asleep. He had had so much sleep earlier that morning that he couldn't have feel asleep if he wanted. He just looked at her and thought about the two of them and the events of the last few days. He kind of wished that Janie wasn't staying with them for the night, but then he thought that it might be good for Margaret. She needed something good to look at. Janie was part of her family and it would be nice to have a little baby around for the day. It would be good for all of them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Hawkeye wore the T-shirt just like she wanted. He wore the new swim trunks she bought him and even shaved and combed his hair neatly. All this was done without her having to say a single word. "Should I have worn a sweater too?" He asked her once they were in the taxi.   
  
"That's not funny." She was still feeling very emotional. Him threatening to leave had left her feeling even more vulnerable than before.  
  
Hawkeye scooted closer and put his arm around her. "You know I didn't mean that," he told her.   
  
Margaret looked at her hands. "I know," she said lowly.  
  
Hawkeye could sense something was wrong. "Honey?" He tried to get her to look at him.   
  
"I'm fine," she pushed away his hand. "Just a little tired."

"That's not it, Margaret."

"I'm fine," she insisted. She didn't want to look into his eyes and start crying again. That always happened to her when she was emotional. Those eyes of his looked so deep into her that she knew he was reading her mind and heart. 

He gave her a kiss on the side of the head. "I'll let you get away with that for now."

She smiled at him and then look strait ahead. "We're almost there," she sighed.

"This is it, baby. In a couple of hours we'll be back in a cab on the way to the hotel. We won' t have to see anyone again."

"We'll have the baby."

"Even better," he smiled. "We'll be able to play with her and I haven't met a baby yet that didn't make you smile or laugh."

She smiled widely. She was so glad that he was happy they were going to have the baby over night. She had started to think that she may have gone too far with that. "It'll be okay."

"Yes. It will."

"And we can go home soon?"

He smiled. "Our plane doesn't leave for a few more days. We planned to spend some extra time here, remember?"

"Do we have to?" She asked with pleading eyes. All she wanted to do at this point was go home and stay home. They may have lived in a small apartment that at times could be suffocating, but it was home nonetheless. 

"It'll be okay. No more family. No more fights. Just me and you."

"You promise?"

He nodded. "The only person that lives in this town is your sister, right?" She nodded. "Maybe we'll see her, but she's not bad. I don't know her well, but I like her already."

"Good. She's the only one you have to like. You can hate all of the others and I'll understand perfectly."

"Like you do?"

"I don't hate all of them."

"Oh?"

She looked away and out the window. "I don't hate everyone. In fact..."

"Yes?" She had paused. 

"Well...my father. I was always very close to him. I do love him, you know."

He smiled. "Good."

"Good?" She looked at him with skepticism.  
  
"I don't want you to hate your father."  He told her sincerely. "It's me who they hate, not you. And I could never make you chose between me or your father."  
  
Margaret smiled and gave him a kiss. "You really are remarkable."   
  
"I couldn't do that to you," he told her. "This is my battle."  
  
"We're in this together." She picked up his hand and squeezed it. "It's my family after all."  
  
"Don't I know it," he laughed. Margaret hit him in the arm. "I was kidding!"  
  
Margaret eyed him playfully and then looked out the window. "Look, we're here."  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to turn around now?" He asked nervously as he looked at the group of people standing out there.  
  
"You were the one who said we had to come."  
  
"Well I changed my mind."  
  
The cab stopped and Margaret opened the door. "Come on." She grabbed his hand and helped him out. Hawkeye paid the driver and then took her hand again. Together they walked down to the beach.

They weren't greeted with smiles and hugs, but rather with stares and whispers. Joan wasn't there, but Al was. He glanced over at his oldest daughter and then looked away. Margaret looked out into the ocean trying to pretend she didn't see that and it didn't bother her, but Hawkeye knew better. He picked up her hand and they walked right into the crowd.

"Its okay," he said softly. "We'll get through it together."

She nodded and smiled. "We'll grab some food. How does that sound?"

"Good."

They walked over to the buffet table. It was set up with sandwiches and chips. They got two plates and two drinks from the cooler and then they sat walked over to the outside of the crowd. There was a picnic table there so they sat down. "When's Katie going to get here?"

"I don't know. Maybe you should go talk to some people."

"I'm not leaving you alone. I've done that too many times already," she said. "You're stuck with me now."

He smiled and gave her a kiss. "There isn't another person I'd rather be stuck to."

"Should I talk to my father?"

"Do you want to?"

She thought about it for a second. "Maybe a little later. I have to work up the nerve."

"Okay. Don't wait too long."

"I know."

"You know something..." Hawkeye said as he took a bite of his burger. He was trying to lighten the mood.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We should order the same thing every time we go out. I'll actually get to eat then."  
  
Margaret nudged him as she started to eat. "Shut up."   
  
Hawkeye laughed as he watched her inhale her food. "I take it that you didn't eat much at breakfast?"  
  
"I was half asleep through the whole thing."  
  
"That's right." Then with a glimmer in his eye he added, "But it was well worth it."  
  
Margaret looked around to see if anyone heard that. "Watch what you say." She said with a small grin.  
  
"Relax, no one can hear."   
  
"Keep your voice down," she warned as she continued to look around.

"I thought you didn't care what they thought."

"I don't, but even when we're married I don't want them knowing our," she looked around and then whispered. "Our sex lives."

He laughed lightly. "You're right." She looked at his burger as he took another bite. For some reason his food always looked better. He saw her eyeing his food and held it out to her. "Here you go," he rolled his eyes.

"Thank you," she smiled. "Mmmm, this is soooo good."

"You should have let me fix your burger." He switched their plates so she could finish his and he could finish hers. 

"Next time," she said with a mouth full of food.

He smiled. "You're so cute."

She swallowed. "You too." 

The two of them finished off their food and Hawkeye threw the plates away. They looked around a little bit both looking for Katie. She was the only person that would talk to them without judging them. Margaret had started to think that part of the reason they all hated Hawkeye off the bat was because he was Italian. If that was their reason then she didn't want to even try to talk to them. That was their problem, not hers. 

"Why don't we go set up camp?" Hawkeye suggested.

"Huh?"

"Go put our things down and go take a swim. It's hot out here."

Margaret looked over at her family, they didn't seem to notice them. "Okay," she said almost reluctantly. She wished they could have been over there laughing with them.  
  
"Come on sweetheart." He stood up and helped her to her feet. Margaret took his offered hand and walked with him down to the water.  
  
When they found a nice spot, Hawkeye laid out their towels and pitched the beach umbrella. He had bought it knowing her family would be intrusive. "This was a great idea," she said when she noticed they were hidden from view.   
  
"I figured we didn't need an audience."  
  
"You read my mind."  
  
"That's why I get to sit here," he said as he sat down on his towel.

She watched him kick off his shoes and relax. His sunglasses were covering his eyes. It was a great picture, but something didn't look right. "Take off your shirt."

"What?" He looked at her with surprise. "I thought I wasn't allowed to."

"I changed my mind." She realized it seemed foolish for him to keep his shirt on at the beach.

"You first."

"You," she smiled.

He smiled at her. He knew she was taking the first step that they had talked about. She was being herself and not caring what the rest of them thought. He took his shirt off and handed it to her. "How's this?"

"Looks perfect," she smiled. She kicked off her sandals and pulled her shorts off before sitting down on the towel next to him. 

"How are you feeling? You're not going to have a heart attack, are you?"

"No!"

He laughed. "Let's go swimming."

"I don't know."

"Come on. It'll be fun. We'll just pretend we don't have an audience."

She smiled at him. After a moment of thought she looked out into the ocean. It looked wonderful and cool. "Okay. Let's go."

Hawkeye stood up and tossed his sunglasses aside. He held out his hands and pulled her to her feet. "You're not going swimming with that on are you?"  
  
"Don't be silly," she told him. Margaret pulled the shirt off and dropped it beside his sunglasses. With a small smile she walked toward beach, leaving him gape at the bikini she was wearing.  
  
Hawkeye trailed behind her, a quaint little smile spread across his face. "What happened to the one piece?"   
  
"I decided not to wear it."  
  
"I'm so glad," the enthusiasm was evident in his voice. She glanced over and looked at him; a roguish look was covering his face. He was looking at her backside rather than her eyes.  
  
"Pierce," she warned him. "Behave."  
  
He suddenly looked up and grinned. "I didn't do anything."  
  
"But I know that look." Every time he got that look on his face he became relentless towards pursuing her, and almost every time she gave into him.  
  
"What look?" He said innocently. "Is it my fault that I'm engaged to the most attractive woman here?"  
  
"You can look, but no touching," she told him with a grin.   
  
"I promise I'll keep my hands to myself," he placed them behind his back. Then with another lip curling smile he added, "At least until we're in the water."

She smiled at him as she stepped into the water. He walked up beside her and grabbed her hand. He couldn't grab anything else at the moment so he had to settle for that. "This feels nice," she said as they walked forward into the nice cool water.

"You have no idea." He smiled looking her up and down. He was so happy to see her in a bikini, but not only for his own pleasure, but because it meant that she was coming out of her shell. She was on the track to being herself. The real Margaret Houlihan. The one that didn't give a damn what other people thought of her.

She let go if his hand and walked further into the water. He stood there for a moment and let her get in front of him so he could see the view from behind. She turned around once she was waist deep in the water and realized that he wasn't right next to her anymore. "Come on she yelled.

"I don't know," he ran his foot through the water. "It seems pretty cold to me."  
  
"It's wonderful," she exclaimed. The coolness felt invigorating. "Come on."  
  
"I don't know," he wavered. "You know how I turn blue when I get cold."  
  
"I'll keep you warm," her voice was sweet and inviting. She really wanted him to join her.  
  
"In that case..." He walked out a few more steps and then dove into the surf.   
  
Margaret watched as he disappeared into the waves and waited for him to reemerge. A couple of moments later however, she felt something spread her legs and swim between them. The next thing she knew she was sitting very awkwardly on his shoulders. "Hawkeye! Put me down!" She shrieked as she held tightly onto him in an attempt not to fall. "Hawkeye!"   
  
"Whatever you say..." He trailed off. The last thing Margaret heard was his sinister laugh before she hit the water. When she reemerged, Hawkeye was standing there with a smug smile on his face.

She narrowed her eyes looking at him as she wiped the water from her face. "You're in trouble now." 

"Oh? What are you going to do about it?" She knew he was too big and strong for her to out power in the water and she wasn't going to try. Instead she pasted a smile on her face and walked over to him looking directly into his eyes. He didn't expect it when she swept up the water in front of him sending it to his face. She laughed evilly when she did and swam off into the deeper water. "That's it! You're going to get it!"

Margaret laughed and swam a little further out. "Ha ha," she teased. When she turned around and stopped she couldn't stand anymore so floated in that spot and waited for him to get there. She didn't think he was going to do anything, but she realized she was wrong. Her eyes widened when she saw the evil look on his face. "Oh no! What are you going to do?"

"Like I'm going to tell you. That would ruin the surprise."

"No, Pierce. Don't you dare! You started it!"

"So." He swam closer to her teasing her and making her suffer.

"So! We're even now." He grinned when he got to her. "Don't! I can't stand here."

He looked into her eyes intimidating her playfully. Just when she thought he was going to do something he surprised her by taking her into his arms and kissing her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. "Didn't expect that, did you?"

"No," she smiled. 

"Was that so bad?"   
  
"No," she leaned in and kissed him again, this time deeper. Hawkeye wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and pulled her hips against his. "I think we're out too deep," she said after a minute.  
  
"I can still stand."   
  
"Barely." His shoulders weren't even visible anymore.  
  
Hawkeye ran a hand up her back; he played with the strings of her bikini. "Don't worry, I have you."  
  
Margaret eyed him. "Don't even think about it."  
  
A mischievous grin spread across his face. "No one can see."  
  
"No." She told him sternly.  
  
His hand slipped down squeezed her ass. "No one saw that."  
  
"Stop while you're still ahead."

His hands moved up her sides and around to her back where he played with the stings of her top. "Are you sure? It would be so much fun."

She rolled her eyes. Taking her hands and putting them on the sides of his face she made him look back at the beach. "How fun do you think it would be if those people out there saw us?"

He thought for a second. "You're right. Should I let go of you?"

"No." She kissed him again. "This is good."

He moved his pelvis against her. "It might be a little too good for me to resist, honey."

She tossed her head back and laughed. "Later."

"You promise?" She nodded. "What about Janie?"

"What about her?"

"She's staying with us tonight. Wait a second. Am I staying there tonight or are you kicking me out."

"No. You are staying there too. Katie doesn't know, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her. Janie will be fine. We'll get a crib sent upstairs and we'll set her up somewhere."

"So, sex isn't out of the question?"

"I think it can be negotiable." She told him as she kissed him again.   
  
"We do have two rooms," he said against her lips.  
  
Margaret nodded, "I know." She kissed him once last time. "I think we should go back in." She gestured to the beach, "I can see Katie and Rick."  
  
Hawkeye turned his head. "I suppose we should." Then he looked back at his fiancé. "But I'd prefer to stay out here where it's just us." He told her softly.  
  
Margaret caressed the side of his face. "I know, I'm not looking forward to going back there with all of them either."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll protect you."  
  
"My hero." They kissed again.  
  
"We better go now," he told her.  
  
"Why?" Before he hadn't wanted to go back.  
  
"Because if we don't leave now, I won't be able to get out until it's dark."

She laughed and moved off of him. "Let's get in there and get this over with. As soon as I can I'll steel my niece and we'll leave."

"Good."

The two of them swam to the shore. They stood up in the shallow surf and Hawkeye took her hand again. He had to pull her along though. She had noticed some faces staring at her and her step faltered. He muttered words of encouragement as they walked back to the area they had been sitting at. Hawkeye picked up her towel and handed it to her. "Hawkeye, look at them."

He looked back. "So? They're whispering like they always do. What's new?"

"No. Something's wrong." She dried herself off and then tied the towel around her waist. "Look at my father. He's looking at me now."

"Maybe that's good."

"No its not. He hasn't looked at me for the past few days. Something is going on. Did we do something wrong?"

He looked into her eyes. "No. Now don't start second guessing yourself. You know we didn't do anything wrong."

"You're right." She eyed her father trying to figure out what was going on. She didn't want to fight anymore. All the fight had gone out of her. 

"No one knows about the room and no one has any idea that we're living together. And for what just happened, we were just swimming and doing a little harmless kissing. They couldn't even see us."   
  
Margaret knew he was right; they had no reason to be ashamed. She felt his hands squeeze her shoulders as he stood behind her. Margaret reached up and let her hand rest on top of his. "I know. I just wish I knew what it was."  
  
"It's his problem, not yours." He said reassuringly.  
  
"You know," she said as she turned around to look at him. Hawkeye wrapped his towel around his waist and combed his hair back with his fingers. "This could have been a wonderful trip if it hadn't been for them."  
  
"We're going to be here for another few days, I promise I'll make it up to you." He caressed her cheek and gave her a quick kiss.  
  
"I know you will," she beamed.   
  
Margaret turned around when she heard her name being called suddenly. Katie was walking towards them with Janie in her arms. "Hi." She smiled when they were within distance.  
  
"Hi. Where were you guys?" Margaret asked as they met. "You're a little late."  
  
"Janie was still sleeping and I wasn't ready to get her up just yet." She looked at the baby in her arms. Then to Margaret and Hawkeye she asked, "Did you two already go in?"  
  
"The water's wonderful, you really should go in." Margaret told her.  
  
"I think I will, after we eat."  
  
"So you haven't been up there yet then?" Margaret questioned. She hoped she would have known what was going on.  
  
"Oh I was, I got stuck in the crowd."  
  
"So then you've seen daddy?"  
  
"I made it a point not to go near him," Katie said. "I could tell he was vividly angry, but I wasn't so curious that I had to find out why."

"I understand," she nodded. "Did you hear anything though?"

"No. Why are you worried? What did you do now?"

Hawkeye answered. "Nothing. She didn't do anything wrong."

Katie smiled looking her sister over. "Nice suit. I wish I could wear a two piece again. Miss Janie here saw to it that that will never happen again."

Margaret laughed and looked at her niece. "Did you give your mommy all kinds of stretch marks?"

Janie smiled widely. Despite the chaos in her own home she was a happy baby who loved to smile. Katie saw to it that she stayed that way. "She gave me tons. Be ready to throw all of those two pieces out the window and find a nice one piece that sucks everything in when you have a baby."

"I will," she nodded. "Is Rick here?"

"Yes. He's up there. He got stuck in the crowd too, but he couldn't get out."

"So you left him?" Hawkeye asked. She nodded. He looked at his fiancé. "Must run in the family."

She slapped his arm. "Stop it."

"Ouch, Margaret. That hurt." He rubbed his arm. 

"Stop being a baby." She bent down and picked up her sunglasses and a brush. She ran a brush through her hair. "I suppose we should go up there. I have a funny feeling that all that commotion around Daddy is about me."

"So you want to get in the middle of it?" Katie asked. "Why don't you just wait until he calms down?"

"No," she nodded. "It's eating me up." Margaret tossed the brush into her bag and put her sunglasses on. She made sure her towel was secure around her waist. "I'm going to go up there and talk to him."

Katie didn't want that and neither did Hawkeye. They both thought it was a good idea that Margaret wait a little bit. Al could be vicious when he was angry and the only person that could hurt Margaret more than Hawkeye was her father. There was no deeper hurt than being hurt by the one you love, but being hurt by a person, a parent, who's supposed to love you unconditionally comes in a close second on the pain scale. "Margaret, wait."

"What?"

"Stay here for a little." Hawkeye asked. 

"I can't." 

"I'll come with you then," he said. "Just let me dry off a little bit first."

"I'm fine." She said with a smile and than started to walk back to the picnic area.

Hawkeye looked over at Katie. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

"Daddy can be really mean. If he's mad at her than it could be big. He's had all weekend to rack up things to complain about."

"Should I follow her?"

Katie looked at her sister's body language. She was strong and determined. She could hold her own, but it all depended on Al. She was very sensitive when it came to him. She had always been a daddy's girl and it wasn't until the last few years that she started to move away from him. "Let her do it on her own." She finally said. "If she needs you then go."

"Okay." Hawkeye stood there in his black swim trunks, sunglasses on, and his black hair brushed back with his fingers. He was nervous for her. She had broken down and cried just hours before and he didn't want to see her like that again. "She can strong sometimes, but..."

"I know," Katie broke in. "Her strength is only a front when it comes to people she loves."

Hawkeye crossed his arms and watched as she made her way towards the crowd. He was kicking himself now, wishing he had gone with her when he had the chance. When she disappeared into the crowd he grew more nervous. "You know, I think I should follow her," he said after a moment of thought. "I don't like the idea of her being over there all alone."  
  
"I'm sure she's fine," Katie said. "It's not like it's the first time she's ever had to face them alone."   
  
"Exactly," he said feeling even more angry. Margaret had been left to fend for herself all her life; there wasn't any reason why she had to endure it any longer. "I think I'm going over there."  
  
"Hawkeye," Katie stepped into his path and held up her hand. "Give her some time. You don't know, she could be handling things just fine."  
  
Katie hadn't seen Margaret break down; she didn't know how vulnerable she was right then. "I really should go," he walked by her, not giving her the chance to argue.   
  
Hawkeye picked up his shirt and put it back on. He removed his towel and threw it to the side. If he was going to have to stand up to her father, he was going to at least do it dressed.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

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When he got closer he saw that Margaret wasn't in the middle of the crowd, but she was at the back of the crowd on a sand dune standing with her father and her uncle. Her hands were on her hips and her lips were moving. She seemed to be doing fine, but there was no telling how long that would last. After her breakdown earlier that day he didn't know what to expect from her. He stood off to the side and listened to them for a moment.

"Margaret, look at yourself!" Al yelled. "You're disgracing this family."

  
"I didn't do anything wrong!" She stood up to him, but didn't yell. 

Al looked her in the eye. "You don't call that nothing?! You show up here, don't say a damn word..."

"Me?! You're the one that's not talking to me!"

Al ignored her. He didn't want to hear that so he pretended that he didn't. "You're almost naked walking around like its nothing and you were putting on quite the show out there for everyone to see."

"I wasn't putting on a show."

"You don't call that a show? You were all over him like a little slut!"

Hawkeye's eyes filled with fire. There was no way in hell he was going to let someone talk to her like that. The look on her face broke her heart. Her jaw dropped and instead of clenching it in anger like she normally would have, it started to quiver.

Hawkeye walked up behind her and placed one hand on her hip and the other on her shoulder, he stood directly behind her and held her close. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He demanded. "You have no right to say that to her or any other woman!" His voice was cold and full of hate.  
  
Al's eyes flared. "Get the hell away from daughter," he growled. "This is between me and her."  
  
"No," Hawkeye tightened his grip on her and held her closer. "This is between me and you."  
  
Alvin clenched his fists, "You're lucky I have a heart problem or I'd knock you flat on your back."

"The hell you would," he said evenly and full of confidence. 

Al glared at him trying to get the young man to back down, but it wasn't happening, so he turned to Margaret. "Get the hell away from him. Don't let him put his hands all over you!"

Margaret looked to Hawkeye for help. He stood next to her with his arm around her waist, his hand resting on her hip claiming her. "Margaret is a grown woman. She knows how to take care of herself and knows what she wants. If she doesn't want me to touch her, then she'll tell me. Not you!"

"Why you little bastard," Al said. "If I were you I'd run away from here as fast as you can."

"I don't run away." He felt Margaret lean against him more. "I'm going to marry your daughter whether you like it or not. She loves you, although I can't see why. Don't make her chose."

"There's not a question in my mind who she would choose. She's always chosen me." He said with a cocky grin.

Margaret's hurt was quickly turning to anger. She mustered up the courage and looked in her father's eyes. "Believe me; you don't want me to choose."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You know what it means," she said coolly.

Al narrowed his eyes. "You'll regret this for the rest of your life."

Margaret had gained some more strength with Hawkeye next to her. He was willing to stand up for her, and if he would do it to her father than he would do it to anyone. "No I won't." 

"If you don't get away from that man right this moment..." Alvin pointed his finger at Hawkeye.  
  
"You'll do what?" She snapped.   
  
"You marry him and you'll find out," he threatened.   
  
Margaret looked at her father in astonishment and sadness. "How could you say such a thing? Why can't you just be happy that I've finally found someone who loves me for me?"  
  
Al glared at Hawkeye, "Oh I know he loves you, I saw what you were letting him do to you."  
  
Margaret's anger rose. "We were not doing anything," she told him sternly. "And if we were, it wouldn't be any of your damn business anyway!"  
  
"Don't give me that! I saw how you let him feel you up!"  
  
Margaret took a deep breath and looked away. She was going to blow up if she didn't calm down. "We went for a swim and then we got out, that's all." She said in a calm voice.  
  
"I saw the way he was looking at you, ogling you in that...that thing! It's disgraceful, you running around half naked!" He shouted, gesturing to her exposed stomach.

For a second Margaret wished she had never worn it. All it seemed to do was add more trouble to the troubles she already had. Then she realized that there wasn't anything wrong with what she was wearing. She wasn't exposing herself in any away. Everything that was supposed to be covered up was covered up. She looked at Hawkeye and wrapped her arm around his waist. "There isn't a damn thing wrong with what I'm wearing," she said to her father. "It's not my suit you have a problem with, it's me."

"Margaret Elizabeth Houlihan, I order you to take your hands off of him! Look at that 'man' you're hanging onto. He's Italian for God sakes."

Hawkeye's eyes shot daggers and Margaret cringed. She didn't know what he was going to do. He took a couple of deep breaths and looked at her. "Are you ready to go?" 

"Yes."

"Can you go get our things?"

She didn't know if she wanted to leave him alone with her father. After what her father had said about her and him she wasn't sure what was going to happen. After careful but quick thought, she agreed. "I'll be right back." Whatever he was going to say to her father was deserved. Al had stepped over too many lines in that small amount of time.

Margaret reached up and gave Hawkeye an assuring kiss. She wanted him to know that she was on his side. Then she turned and walked away. She saw her sister standing to the side and walked over to her. Passing her she said, "Come with me." 

Katie followed her older sister hot on her heals. She couldn't believe the scene that had just played out in front of everyone, and there was more to come. Katie was glad to go with her sister down to the water. She wasn't sure she wanted to see Hawkeye and Al together like that. When they were out of ear shot from everyone Katie ran up so she was next to her sister. "What are you thinking?! Are you crazy?!"

Margaret turned around; her jaw clenched and she placed her hands on her hips. "Me?" She said coolly. "You think I'm the one that's crazy! Did you hear what he said?"

"Well....no, but..."

"But nothing! I'm not letting him walk all over me any longer. Standing up to him was the second smartest thing I ever did. I'll get him off my back and the rest of those assholes up there will follow."

Maybe she was right. Katie didn't know. She wished she had to the nerve to do that though, but unlike Margaret she didn't have her husband standing by her side. Rick would never do that. Katie shook herself out of her thoughts and saw that her sister had walked further over to the spot where her things were. She ran over to her. "What was the smartest thing you ever did?"

She pointed to Hawkeye. "You see that man up there? The smartest thing I ever did was accept his proposal."

Katie half smiled. "You really are crazy. Love does some funny things to you."

Margaret rolled her eyes and chucked. She tossed the towels into the beach bag and started to put her shirt and shorts back on. "We're going to get out of here."

"Okay. Are you still going to take the baby for me?"

"Of course." She buttoned her shorts and then looked at her niece. "Tell Mommy she's going to have to unglue you from her hip first."

"I just don't want any of them to take her," she referred to the crowd of people. "I don't think that they would hurt her, but still..."

"I know what you mean."

"And you were a little busy this afternoon."

Margaret tossed the beach bag over her shoulder and grabbed the umbrella. "Do you want us to take her or will you bring her by?"

"It's up to you. What do you want?"

"We can take her now. All of her things are at the hotel already."

"Sounds good to me." She looked up to see what her father and Hawkeye were doing. Hawkeye's hands were flying as he yelled. She knew he was holding back his anger. Al's fists were clenched as he was yelling. She could see that he too was holding back some of his anger. "I've got to break that up. Why don't you meet us out on the road?"

"Alright." Katie was relieved about that. She wanted to get out of there. As soon as the baby was with Margaret she was planning on getting into her car and leaving too. "Do you need any help?"

"No. I've got it all under control." Margaret took a deep breath and headed back up.

Margaret avoided the glances from her family and bypassed them all, walking around the crowd so she wouldn't have to subject herself to the possibility of another confrontation. She made her way back up the beach and walked to the road where she waited for a cab. By the time she had flagged one down, Hawkeye was on his way towards her, trudging angrily through the sand with his jaw clenched and his head held low.   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  


They sat in silence the whole way back to the hotel. Hawkeye sat close to her, his arm wrapped possessively around her shoulders as he held her tight. Margaret wasn't overly anxious to hear about what had happened. The whole day had been one giant snowball, continuously building up until that final moment. She could feel how restless and uneasy he was, he needed to vent his emotions, but the back of a cab wasn't the best place to do it.  
  
When they got back to the hotel, Hawkeye grabbed their things as Margaret carried Janie in her arms. Again, they hardly said a word as they rode up the twenty five stories in the elevator. Hawkeye stood beside her with his free arm encircled around her waist and held her close to him.  
  
As soon as he had the door unlocked and they were inside, he dropped the things he had been holding in his hands and immediately started taking off his wet clothes. "Fuck him," he muttered as he took off his shirt and threw it across the room. He was beyond livid at the moment. "He can go to hell, him and all those goddamned bigots!"

"Hawkeye, Janie's here."

"I know!" He stomped off toward the bedroom. 

Margaret put Janie down on the living room floor and gave her some things to play with. "Can you entertain yourself for a little bit? I need to go cool down Uncle Hawk." Margaret walked into the bedroom, but Hawkeye wasn't in there. She heard the shower running and walked in. "Hawk?"

"What?!"

"Don't be mad at me."

"Sorry."

She peaked in the shower. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not now. Let me shower."

She knew he needed some time to himself and she needed to get back to the baby. She didn't like leaving a four month old alone. "Okay." She walked back out into the living room and sat down on the floor. "I'll have to talk to him in a few minutes. So, that gives us some time to play."

Hawkeye stayed in the shower much longer than Margaret had expected he would. All he wanted to do was forget about what had happened, he stood beneath the water and tried to let his anxieties wash down the drain. He was afraid that if he went out there too early he'd take his frustrations out on Margaret, and she didn't need any more drama for the day.   
  
Eventually Hawkeye got out of the shower and emerged from the bathroom. He felt a little better, but not much. Margaret heard him from the living room and picked up Janie and carried her into the bedroom. She found him sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out into space. "Honey?" Margaret asked when she saw him.  
  
"Hmmm?" He was lost in thought.  
  
Margaret set Janie down on the floor. She sat down on the bed beside her fiancé. "Are you okay?"  
  
Hawkeye seemed to have suddenly realized she was sitting there. "Yeah, I'm fine." He turned to face her and stroked her cheek with his finger, "It's you I'm worried about."  
  
Margaret held his hand against her cheek. She sighed, "I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
"I promise you'll never have to," he leaned in and gave her a loving kiss

"Good," she smiled when he pulled back. "Because I couldn't handle that."

He didn't want to get himself worked up again, so he focused on her. "How are you feeling?"

She sighed and leaned in against him. "I've been better."

He wrapped his arm around her. "I know, and I'm sorry."

  
She pulled back and looked at him. "You have nothing to be sorry about. You did all the right things."

"For once."

She smiled. "For once."

"Hey."

"I'm kidding. But really, I think I'm okay for now. Besides, I can't fall apart. I have a baby to take care of."

He smiled. Hearing those words come out of her mouth was something he didn't expect to hear. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. "Well, she seems to be doing fine." He looked at the baby on the floor. "She entertains herself pretty well."

"She does. Why don't we let you get dressed though? Then we can talk. It's almost time for her bottle and then she'll be down for a nap."

"Okay." He leaned in and gave her a tender kiss. "Don't keep things inside, honey. I'm here for you to talk to me."

"I know." She stood up and picked up the baby. "And I love you for it and so much more."

After Hawkeye had finished getting dressed he walked out to find her sitting on the couch in front of the television. He sat down beside her and looked at the baby in her arms. Janie was fighting to stay awake, but it was a losing battle. "Look how sleepy she's getting," he commented as he watched her.  
  
"I know," Margaret rocked her gently in her arms. "She's had a busy couple of days."  
  
"Poor thing," he said. It was terrible that she was always getting caught in the middle of those messes.   
  
"It looks likes it going to be a good night for all of us," she looked up and smiled at him. Hawkeye returned her smile and kissed her.  
  
"I'll put her down," he opened his arms to take the now sleeping child.  
  
Margaret smiled at his enthusiasm and gently handed the baby over. Hawkeye took her and placed her in the bassinet across the room. When he came back he sat down and laid his head in Margaret's lap. She stroked his hair and leaned down and kissed him again. "Are you ready to talk about it yet?"

"Margaret, he just made me so angry. I don't know if I've ever been that mad before."

"I know."

"I don't know what happened. Once I saw that crushed look on your face I couldn't hold back anymore and then the anger just flowed after that."

"I could tell."

"Did I go too far?" He looked up at her.

"I don't think so. It's my father that went too far. He crossed too many lines this afternoon."

"I just love you so much and when I saw what he was doing to you, I snapped. I didn't mean to make a scene..."

"Hawk, it's okay, really it is. You protected me."

"You're not mad at me?"

"No, of course not."

He smiled and pulled her head down for a kiss. "How are you?"

"You don't want to know...I don't even know."

He sat up and looked at her. "I do want to know."

She leaned against him needing to feel his arms around her. "I'm confused. I feel so many different things right now."

After a moment of pause where he was waiting for her to continue, he spoke up. "What do you feel, baby? You know you can tell me."

Margaret leaned into him and hugged him tighter. "I'm mad of course, I've never been so mad at him before, after what he said."  
  


"Well that's to be expected," he said as he held her close.  
  
"But on the other side...I...I have this incredible urge to cry. All I've ever wanted from my father was his approval, and now he hates me. I was hoping he'd accept us and be happy for me for once, but I guess I was just being silly."  
  
"No, you weren't being silly," he told her. It hurt him to see her in pain. "You just happen to love your father, that's all."  
  
"Even though he doesn't love me," she sighed against his chest.  
  
"No, don't say that. I know he loves you and so do you. I just got in the middle."  
  
Margaret sat up and pulled his face down to hers. "Honey, you didn't get in the middle," she told him. "If my father never said another word to me I think I would eventually learn to deal with it, but if I didn't have you..."  
  
"I feel the exact same way," he knew what she was trying to say. He kissed her forehead. "I love you so much." Margaret smiled and closed her eyes at his touch; he was such a wonderful man.

"One day, in the future, I'll try to fix things with your father."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to do that. I may not like the man, and he may hate me, but that doesn't change the fact that both of us love you. We're going to have to learn to share you."

She smiled at him and hugged him tightly. "I love you."

"I love you. You talk to me if you need to, okay?"

"Okay."

"You promise?"

"I promise," she smiled. 

  
"I won't have to drag it out of you?"

"I didn't say that." 

Hawkeye chucked. "I'll accept that." 

"Good."

"Now, what do we do while the baby's sleeping?"

She held on to him still. "Maybe I'll go take a shower and wash all the sand and salt water off of me."

"Can I watch?"

"No. You have to be able to listen for the baby."

"Ah...that's no fun."

"Yeah, but someone has to stay with her."  
  
Hawkeye frowned; he wanted to stay with her. "What if we kept the door open and moved her into the bedroom?"   
  
"I won't be long," she kissed him and stood up.  
  
Hawkeye groaned, he wanted to be with her. "But baby..."   
  
"I promise we'll do something later. I just can't stand this gritty feeling."  
  
Hawkeye relaxed a little bit and sat back. "I know."  
  
"I'll be back before you'll even know I left," she said as she walked off to shower.  
  
"I don't see why you're bothering; you're just going to need to take another one later!" He called after her.  
  
Margaret paused, "Do you want me covered in sand?"  
  
Hawkeye thought about that for a moment. "Second thought, you'd better go."

She smiled at him. "That's what I thought."

Hawkeye lay back down on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. It had been a tiring day and it was only four o'clock. He glanced over at the baby in the bassinet to see if she was okay, and then he closed his eyes. He didn't want to fall asleep, he just meant to rest his eyes for a few moments, but that didn't happen.

When Margaret got out of the shower she went to check on Hawkeye and the baby. She saw that Janie was still sleeping peacefully and Hawkeye had joined her in her nap. She covered Hawkeye with a blanket and then went back to the bedroom to get dressed. She contemplated what she should wear, and decided that even if they went out for dinner a little later, they had a four month old with them so they wouldn't be going any place that required certain dress attire. She pulled out a comfortable pair of shorts and t-shirt and threw them on. Hawkeye hated when she wore that because he couldn't see much skin, but it was comfortable and she wanted to wear it.

She made a phone call to her sister to see how things were going and to let Katie know that her daughter was doing just fine. Then they chatted for a few minutes like sisters do before saying goodbye. With nothing left to do but think of the days events, she decided to get busy doing something. She didn't want to dwell on things. The maid had come in and cleaned the room, so she couldn't do that. Hawkeye was asleep, so she didn't have anyone to talk to. Then she spotted the newspaper on the table by the window. Smiling she picked it up and decided to sit down and read about what else was going on in the word besides the disastrous Houlihan reunion.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Hawkeye woke up about an hour later. He looked through out the entire room for Margaret, but he couldn't find her. With no idea where she had gone, he checked on the baby and then went to use the bathroom.   
  
Margaret walked back into the room a few minutes later. She had only stepped out briefly to find some ice. Instantly when she walked into the room she noticed that he was gone. Margaret set the bucket down on the table and then went to go find him.  
  
"Hey," she said when she opened the door to the bathroom. Hawkeye was washing his hands.  
  
"There you are," he smiled when he saw her. He turned off the water and dried his hands. "Where did you go?"  
  
"Just down the hall to get some ice."   
  
"I missed you." He turned off the light and gave her a pouty look.  
  
Margaret laughed, "I was only gone for a few minutes."  
  
Hawkeye backed her into the bedroom. "It was too long," he told her. "After what happened today, two seconds is even too long to be without you."  
  
Margaret walked backwards as he advanced on her. "You just want to get into my pants." 

"You're not wearing any pants."

He kept walking backing her toward the bed. She smiled. "Then you want to get into my shorts."

He grinned and laid her on the bed. "Maybe I do." He fell lightly on to her being careful not to put too much weight on her body.

Margaret wrapped her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. "Maybe I want you to."

Hawkeye smiled and kissed her gently. "You're even sexy in this ugly old t-shirt." He cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "You are so beautiful and I'm sorry about today. I promise to make the rest of our days here much better."

She smiled and kissed him. They rolled around on the bed for a few minutes kissing each other. When hands started to roam they heard the unfamiliar cries of an infant. At first neither thought anything of it. They both dismissed it as someone out in the hall or in another room. Then the cries got louder and Margaret knew it was Janie. She pushed Hawkeye off of her and he fell onto the floor. "I'm sorry," she chuckled as she ran out of the room.

Hawkeye laid on the floor rubbing the side of his hip he fell on. "You sound real sorry about that." He got up and walked into the living area where Margaret was bouncing the baby gently to calm her down. "What's wrong with her?"

Margaret looked over at him. "She just woke up and no one came to get her. I think she thought she was all alone." She kissed the baby on the cheek. "I'm sorry. I forgot you were here, honey."

Hawkeye walked over to the two of them and placed his hand on the baby's back. "Aunt Margaret isn't very good at taking care of you. Good thing I'm here."

"Pierce!"

He smiled. "I'm kidding."

"You better be. It was your fault anyway."

"Mine?! Just because you can't control yourself and loose your sense of hearing when I kiss you, don't make it my fault."

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "You're really full of yourself."

"I'd rather you be full of me."

Margaret gasped and placed her hand over the baby's ear pressing the innocent child's head against her shoulder. "Watch what you say!"

"What? She doesn't have a clue what I just said."  
  
"But still," she cradled the baby in her arms.  
  
Hawkeye leaned down and talked to the baby, "You wouldn't mind if I stole your aunt for about an hour would you? She needs to help me with something."  
  
"Pierce!" She pushed him away from the child and shielded her with her arms.  
  
Janie laughed. "See, she doesn't mind," he told her.  
  
"I don't want to talk about S-E-X in front of the B-A-B-Y."  
  
Hawkeye looked at her as if she was crazy. "Margaret, she's less than a year old."  
  
"I will not have your dirty mind corrupting my niece."  
  
Hawkeye pretended to be appalled. "Dirty? You dare call something as sacred and beautiful as our love, dirty?!"  
  
"When it comes out of your mouth," she shot back with a leer.  
  
"Oh yeah?" He walked up behind her and pressed his hips into her back. "Well this isn't from my mouth."

Margaret moved away from him. "I think you need a cold shower. That may solve your problem."

"Problem?" He acted horrified. "I don't have a problem."

She rolled her eyes. "On top of being over dramatic, you're a little too... ah... what's the word?"

"Horny."

"Yes! Now stop talking like that in front of the baby."

"She doesn't understand."

"What's going to happen one day when we have children of our own? You better learn how to watch what you say now or we'll end up with a three year old who knows every swear in the book!"

He laughed. "And you call me over dramatic!"

She looked down at the baby. "Your uncle is crazy."

"Uncle?"

"Well, you will be soon."

"How soon?" He asked curiously.

Margaret pointed across the room to the diaper bag. "Will you get me a diaper out of there?"

"You're changing the subject." He picked up the yellow bag. 

She laid the baby on the couch and gave her a toy to occupy her. Hawkeye handed her the diaper bag. "Will you get a diaper out for me?"

He pulled one out and handed it to her. "There. Aren't you going to answer my question?"

"You already know the answer." She told him as she changed the baby's diaper.   
  
"I know, but I'm getting anxious. I just don't want to be your fiancé; I want to be your husband. Once we get married, we can do whatever the hell we want."  
  
"We already are doing whatever we want."  
  
"But we can't tell anyone, we have to be so damn secretive."  
  
Margaret glanced at him, "My sister doesn't need to know anything about us besides the fact that we're getting married."  
  
"Yeah," Hawkeye scratched his chin. "It wouldn't look so good if she found out what we did while we were watching her daughter."  
  
"What we did?" She pinned the new diaper in place and looked at him.  
  
"I'm thinking about tomorrow morning," he grinned.  
  
"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?"  
  
"I need something to look forward to."  
  
"If you want to ever get me back on that bed, you better start watching what you say." She warned him.

"Okay, you win. No more talk about S-E-X."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I knew you'd realize I was right."

"Oh, I didn't say you were right."

She glared at him. "Why do I put up with you?"

He leaned down, "Because I'm good at this," he kissed her. "And that," he pointed to the bedroom. "And I'm one hell of a nice guy."

"It was a rhetorical question." She picked the baby up and placed her on her lap. "What should we do tonight?"

"I don't know. How's Janie to take out?"

"You're engaged, and she's a little young for you."

Hawkeye groaned at her teasing. "You know what I mean."

She smiled. "I don't know. I'm sure she's fine. She's been an angel for the past few days and every situation she's been in has been new to her. What did you have in mind anyway?"

He took the baby from her. "We could go out to dinner or something. We don't have a carriage for her, do we?"

"No, Katie didn't give it to us. That doesn't matter anyway. We can hold her." She stood up. "Are you sure you want to go out with her?"

"Why not?"

"You might get too attached and want one of our own right away. We'd have to get married," she smiled. "You don't want a pregnant bride do you?"

He didn't even answer her. She was just trying to get his goat. She knew very well that he didn't want any children yet. "So, Janie, what should we do tonight? Do you have any ideas?" She smiled and reached for his nose. "What is with you babies and my nose?"

"Because it stands out so much," Margaret said on the way out of the room.

"You're aunt is so funny today." He said sarcastically.

Margaret changed her shirt; she wanted to wear one slightly nicer to dinner. She ran a brush through her hair and found a pair of sandals to slip into. When she walked back out in the living room she found that Hawkeye already had the baby ready to go. "Here, I'll take her," she took Janie from him. "We'll wait for you while you put on your shoes socks."  
  
"Okay, I'll only be a second." He walked back into the bedroom and gathered his things. "Margaret!" He called back out a minute later.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
He appeared in the door, "What did you do with my shoes?"  
  
Margaret thought about it for a moment, "They're under the bed." She finally told him.  
  
"Under the bed?" He disappeared again.  
  
"I had to shove them some place where they wouldn't be seen."  
  
"What was wrong with my suitcase?"  
  
"It was filled with crumpled clothes."  
  
"And you say I can't pack." He walked back out with his shoes on. "All right, I'm ready."  
  
"Do we have everything?"  
  
"Diaper bag?"  
  
"Check." Margaret patted it as it hung from her shoulder.  
  
"Baby?"  
  
"Check." She gave Janie a kiss.  
  
"Yep, we have everything, let's go." He opened the door and together they left.

(*(*(*(*(*(

They walked down to the nearest restaurant and sat down to eat.  Janie was eager to get some food into her belly so Margaret started to feed her while she and Hawkeye waited for their food.    

Hawkeye watched her, she was a natural. One day, when they had kids of their own, she'd be a great mother. "That's okay," he said, then in a lower voice so only she could hear, "That just means you'll have to take another shower when we get back."  
  
Margaret fed the baby a small teaspoon of mashed vegetables. "You still can't join me," she told him.  
  
Hawkeye frowned; he'd momentarily forgotten Janie was staying the night. It was all right, he was growing to love her more and more every time he saw her. Besides, he'd have all of the next day to make up for lost time. "Do you want a steak too?"  
  
"I suppose, with a salad. Why don't we just get one to share?"  
  
"You're right, that's my best bet to eat something tonight. We'd better make it a big one."  
  
"What are you saying Pierce?" She eyed him.  
  
"That I'm wasting away because you eat everything I order," he exaggerated. Well, she was eating all his food after all.  
  
Margaret laughed, "You are not wasting away." It was true; he weighed almost ten pounds more than he had in Korea, a good part of that being muscle.   
  
"Well I will be if you don't let me eat something."  
  
"We always share, you don't starve."

"Ha! I beg to differ."

"So you only take a few bites of your own, but then you always eat all of mine."

"That's besides the point," he waved his hand in dismissal.

She chuckled. "I have a better idea, why don't you order for us? I'll have what you're having."

"Okay." That sounded easy enough. Why hadn't they done that before? "You want scotch like usual or a martini like me?"

"Neither," she put some more food into the baby's mouth. "I've had enough the last few days. I'm all set."

He chuckled. "Okay. Water it is." He watched her with the baby for a few moments wondering why that was so natural to her. He had never seen her with children; at least not like that. She was always an excellent nurse to them, but she didn't allow herself to get close to them. Maybe that was the difference. She wasn't afraid to get close to Janie because she'd always be around. Those other children back in Korea wouldn't. Then he thought about that baby that was left on the Swamp's doorstep. She was different with that little girl. She took care of her and even volunteered for the job. 

Margaret noticed that he seemed to be far away. "Hawk, you still here with us?"

He shook his head slightly trying to get the thoughts out of his head and smiled at her. "Yeah."

"You okay?"

"Uh huh. Oh, there's our waiter."

Hawkeye ordered some drinks and the meal for the two of them. They didn't want to wait since they were both starving and Hawkeye knew what he wanted. He ordered them each a New York Strip with mashed potatoes, sautéed mixed vegetables, and a salad to start with. He was looking forward to actually being able to eat his whole meal. It was simple, but it still made him happy. He had developed a love of food that he never had before once he left Korea. That was why he started to work out and take better care of his body. He loved to eat, but on the same hand he didn't want to become a glutton. Once he had gotten started with the running and working out he became addicted to that too. It all worked out well in the end too. Because on top of that his fiancé loved his new body. And the more he could turn her on, the better he was.

Within ten minutes their salads came. Their big green leaves and bright orange carrots caught Margaret's eye instantly. Hawkeye could see how much she wanted to dig right in, but she was still concentrating on the baby. "Here, let me hold her while you eat."  
  
Margaret looked at him with a small smile, "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm not very hungry at the moment." It was a lie, but he wanted to save room for that cut of steak they were bringing him. "Here, give her to me." He held out his arms to take her from Margaret. Margaret made sure Janie was secured in her arms and then gently passed her across the table. "Hey," he greeted the baby in a playing voice. "Do you feel better now that you've eaten? I can't wait until my food comes."  
  
Margaret smiled as she prepared her salad. "Hmm," she commented when she took her first bite.  
  
"Good salad?" Margaret nodded, her mouth was full. "Good."  
  
She swallowed her helping. "Do you want a bite?"  
  
"Nah, I'm saving myself for something slightly more manly," he said in a deep voice. Margaret smiled and took another bite. "All though, those croutons aren't looking too bad."

She smiled and filled her fork with some salad making sure to get a crouton in there for him. "Here you go," she put it up to his mouth. 

"Mmm," he closed his eyes. 

"You had a good idea to come here."

He smiled. "I'll be the one to pick out the food and the restaurants from now on. How does that sound?"

"I don't know. You eat some pretty gross things."

He sat strait up pretending to be offended. "I beg your pardon. I am known for my fine taste."

She chuckled. "I'll let you believe that." She put some more salad into her mouth.

Hawkeye looked at the baby. "Don't listen to her. I have wonderful taste. I picked out this restaurant, and..." He tried to think of something else that he did that showed his good taste.

"Can't think of anything, can you?"

"Well," he grinned. "I was going to say I picked you, but I changed my mind." He felt a foot hit his shin under the table. "Ouch!"

She glared at him with a small evil smile. "You deserved that. Anyway, you didn't 'pick me out'. I wasn't in a line up. You make it sound like I was in the running with other women."

"Are you kidding? You beat out every last one of them long ago." She gave him a genuine smile. He winked at her. "Now how about another bite of that salad?"

She fed him another bite. "I'll take her now. You can eat."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She pushed her plate away. "I'm saving some room for the real meal." He passed the baby back over the table and started in on his salad. 

Hawkeye only ate half of his salad, he didn't want to fill up on greens and miss his only chance at a real steak. The food at Katie's had been okay and so had the pasta in the hotel dining room, it didn't really bother him though, she ate half his food for him anyway. It would take a real steak to satisfy his hunger. Margaret had been right; he only cared about food and sleep.  
  
Finally after half an hour their food came. Hawkeye was so eager. Along with the steak he had also ordered a tall, cold beer and a side of fries. "This looks wonderful." Margaret exclaimed when her plate was set in front of her. For Hawkeye it was beyond wonderful, he was well past the verge of salivating.  
  
Hawkeye picked up his fork and steak knife in preparation to dig in. "Wonderful? I haven't been so excited all day." His mouth was watering and his stomach was doing somersaults.  
  
Margaret looked up at him with a curious glance. "That's the understatement of the world."  
  
Hawkeye cut off a small piece and took a bite. He looked like he was going to roll over and die. "I might need a smoke when this is over."  
  
"You never smoke afterwards," she exclaimed. "In fact, you don't smoke at all."  
  
"I can't cuddle with a steak after I've eaten it,"

Her eyes widened and she looked around the room to make sure no one had heard that. "You are...are..."

"Wonderful," he smiled.

"That's not what I was going to say!"

"Oh?"

"No! You're the most crude man I've ever met in my life!"

He smiled. "Thanks."

"That wasn't a compliment!"

"Margaret, calm down. You're going to make a scene."

"Me? You're the one talking like that."

"Just eat." He pointed to her steak and then took a bite of his own.

"I can't cut it with the baby."

He moved his plate out of the way and took hers. He cut up half of her steak and then handed it back to her. He knew that she wasn't going to eat all of it. She never did. "There you go."

"Thank you." She said quietly. She glared at Hawkeye for a second but couldn't hold the glare when he started to grin. "Why can't I just stay mad at you?"

"Because you love me too much. How's your steak?"

"Delicious." Janie reached for some food. "No, no, honey. You're too little to eat that." She scooped up a little bit of mashed potatoes and blew on them to cool them off and then let Janie taste them. "You like that, don't you?"

Apparently she did, because she opened her mouth wide waiting for more. Margaret was more than willing to oblige and gave her another helping. Once she had that eaten, she gestured to Margaret for more. "I think you started something," Hawkeye smiled as he watched the little girl slurp the mashed potatoes off the spoon.   
  
"I think I might have too."  
  
"You know something," he said. "This is probably the first time she's ever had something other than baby food."  
  
"You might be right."  
  
Hawkeye took another bite of his steak. "We're corrupting your niece. Her mother's going to take one look at her tomorrow and know something's different."  
  
Margaret gave him one of her famous looks, "Especially since all you do is talk about sex."  
  
Hawkeye pretended he hadn't heard her. "We've let her sleep extra hours, we're feeding her adult food. By tomorrow she won't be the same baby."  
  
"Heaven forbid it," she held the child close. "She's prefect."  
  
"You've got me there," he smiled.

Margaret smiled brightly. He had taken so well to her niece in a matter of days which was making her more curious about how he was going to be with their own children. She always knew that Hawkeye Pierce had it in him to be a wonderful husband and father, and she was looking forward to seeing that come true. Margaret shoveled some more mashed potatoes in to the baby's mouth and in between that she was taking bites of her steak. 

"She's an eater, isn't she?"

"Must run in the family," Hawkeye said without missing a beat.

Margaret wasn't about to take the bait. "She's behaving so well too."

"I know." He smiled at her and gestured to the baby that was trying her best to chew mashed potatoes. "Now you know what its like not to be able to eat your own dinner."

She chuckled. "Yeah, but unlike you, I don't mind sharing."

"Hey, that's not fair. I always share with you."

And he did. He would tease her, but that's all it was. "Yes you do. How would you like to take this little eating machine so I can eat some more of my dinner?"

"I'd love to." Hawkeye put down his fork and reached across the table for the baby. "You can have some of my mashed potatoes. If you're anything like your aunt, you're going to think the ones that are on my plate are better."

Margaret fixed him with on her looks. "Not funny."

Hawkeye fed her some of his mashed potatoes; she was a very good eater. Not only had Margaret already fed her, but she was eating from both their plates. After eating a good portion from Hawk's plate, Janie decided she was full and leaned against her soon-to-be uncle. "Now that would make a darling picture." Margaret pushed her plate to the side and looked at the pair.   
  
"I think she's getting sleepy again," he commented softly as he watched her.   
  
"She's had a big day." Between the excitement at the beach and visiting a strange place, she was sure to be tired. "Do you think she'll sleep okay?" Margaret didn't know how she'd react to spending the night in a strange place.  
  
"I'm sure she'll be just fine," he said as he rubbed her back. "She's been a prefect lady all afternoon."  
  
"Yes, she has." Margaret smiled as she watched the baby's eyes start to droop.  
  
"Hey, do you want desert before we go?" Hawkeye asked when he noticed they were both done eating.  
  
"I'm not sure. I really should say no, I'm afraid I'm gaining weight from all the rich food we've been eating."   
  
"Take it from the man who's seen and experienced your body, you look fantastic."  
  
"That's sweet of you to say." Then as if she'd caught him she said, "But I know what you're gunning for."  
  
"Gunning for?" He pretended to be surprised, "Can't I pay my fiancé a compliment without thinking I'm looking for something in return?"  
  
"I know you, I know what you want," she caught him.  
  
Hawkeye, in his own low and demure way mumbled, "You seemed to enjoy it the seven times you let me yesterday." Then with an evil grin he added, "In fact, wasn't it you who was begging me to get on with it?"

"I'd really rather not talk about that here." She said lowly.

He smiled. "Maybe we should go now. Does she always fall asleep this early?"

"Katie said she just falls asleep for about a half an hour or so once her tummy is full. She goes down for the night at eight thirty."

"Okay. Maybe we should get dessert so she can sleep a little before we start walking."

"You get dessert. I'll share with you."

He smiled. "I knew you couldn't go all night without eating off of my plate!"

Margaret pushed her chair out and stood up. "Get something good. I'll be right back." She gave him a quick kiss.

Margaret went to the ladies room and was gone for about ten minutes. When she got back the baby was still asleep on her fiancé's shoulder and dessert had come. He ordered strawberry cheesecake. "Just in time." He said with some food in his mouth. "I almost ate it all."

She took her seat and asked for the check as the waiter passed by. "I just want a few bites."

Hawkeye passed her the plate and she ate the rest of it. He didn't say much only enjoyed holding the baby in his arms. There was nothing sweeter than holding a sleeping baby. He was beginning to fear that Janie was having a bad influence on him. Being with her was really making him want one of his own. 

"Here you go, sir," the waiter placed the bill on the table. "I hope you enjoyed your meal."

"We did," Hawkeye assured him.

The young man placed a hand on the baby's head stroking it gently. "I've got one just about her age at home. I don't know about you, but being a father was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Hawkeye opened his mouth to correct the young man, but Margaret beat him. She smiled. "He's a changed man."

The waiter smiled. "Have a nice night."

"Thank you," Margaret said smiling at Hawkeye.

It was still fairly light outside so the couple decided to walk around. They looked through store windows but never went inside, it was too nice of an evening. Janie didn't seem to mind the stroll; in fact she continued to sleep the entire time. By the time they made it back to the hotel it was practically dark and the baby was waking up. Margaret wanted to let her get down and play so she'd sleep through the night.   
  
"Who's the cutest baby in the world?" Hawkeye was playing with her as they waited for the elevator, he was carefully holding her above him. Janie giggled as he brought her down and then hoisted her up again.  
  
"Careful," Margaret reminded him. She knew he would never drop her, it just made her nervous to watch.  
  
"Relax," he said still looking at the baby. "If I can carry you than I can certainly carry her."  
  
"Watch it pal."  
  
"Well it's true, she's no more than fifteen pounds and you're..." He saw the look on her face, she was warning him. "Perfect."  
  
"Nice save."  She congratulated.  The door opened and they walked in. Margaret pushed the button for their floor.  
  
"I don't see why you're so shy when it comes to your body. You look," he looked her up and down. "Really, damn good."  
  
Margaret seemed not to have heard his compliment, "Watch your mouth!" She scolded him.  
  
Hawkeye looked up at the baby, she was still smiling. "One night with us is not going ruin her for life."  
  
"I don't want a hair on that baby's head to have changed by tomorrow." She told him.   
  
"This baby doesn't need to be corrupted by you."

"Me?" He said. "I'm not doing anything. Look how happy she is. She loves being with us."

Margaret smiled at the baby and brushed some hair on the child's head. "She is having fun. And why wouldn't she? She's eating real food, being spoiled rotten. Other than that nap she had earlier she hasn't been put down."

"We'll be fun parents."

She chuckled. "Yeah, and have children that are spoiled little brats."

He smiled and raised the baby up in the air again. She laughed and gurgled. "You're so cute," he smiled. "I just love to see that smile."

They rode up to the floor focusing on nothing but the baby. Hawkeye had taken so well to her and hadn't let Margaret have her since dinner. He just refused to hand the child over. When they got to the room Margaret sat the diaper bag down by the couch and kicked her shoes off. "Do you want to give her a bath?"

"Me?" He wasn't so sure about that. Then he looked at the child. "Does she like the water?"

"Her mother tells me she loves it."

"Yeah," he said after a moment. "I think I can do that."

"Okay. Everything she needs is over there on the mini bar."

Hawkeye looked over and saw that the bar had all kinds of baby things on it. He hadn't noticed it before. "Okay Miss Janie, I'm going to give you a bath and then we'll get some more time to play!" She squealed at the sound of his voice. "You like that, huh?"

Margaret smiled as she listened to the two of them. She walked off towards the bathroom to get the tub ready for her niece. The day had turned out pretty well since they left the beach. She was glad that she would still get to see her sister and her niece for a few more days. They were the only two people that were a joy to be around.

Margaret sat and watched as he gave the baby a bath. He seemed to enjoy it just as much as Janie. They both laughed continuously and splashed. By the time he was done, Hawkeye was soaked. He pulled her out and held her up so Margaret could wrap her in a towel.   
  
"Hey there," Margaret smiled as she collected the baby in her arms. "Did you have fun with uncle Hawk?"  
  
"What kind of question is that?" He retorted, "Of course she did."  
  
"I can see that." She looked him up and down, his shirt was completely wet.   
  
Hawkeye lifted his head, "I needed a bath anyway."  
  
"What happened to wanting to shower with me?" She played.  
  
A bright smile spread across his face. "One can never take too many showers."  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes, "What is it with you lately? Is it the salty air that's making you act like this?"  
  
"The three years of Salt Peter is finally wearing off."  
  
Margaret laughed hysterically. "I never would have thought."  
  
"Oh surely you've noticed a difference, you've known be for four years and we've been sleeping together for a few months."  
  
"Not really, you never could keep your hands to yourself."

"It wasn't my hands that the salt peter affected."

She rolled her eyes and walked out of the room with the baby wrapped in a towel. "Your uncle has some serious problems."

"I heard that," Hawkeye called from the bathroom. He had tried drying his shirt with a towel, but that wasn't working so he just took it off. 

"Good." Margaret laid the baby on the bed and sat down drying the child off. "Does Mommy put lotion on you? She said you like that and it keeps your skin soft." Janie smiled up at her and reached for the towel. She stuffed a tiny portion of it in her mouth and started to chew on it. "That taste good?" Margaret squeezed a little bit of baby lotion in her hand and warmed it up in her hands before putting it on the baby. "You're such a cutie."

"That's because she looks like you." Hawkeye smiled. Margaret glanced over at him and smiled. She made sure that the baby was covered in lotion from her neck to her feet and then let her play with the towel for a few minutes. Hawkeye took a seat on the other side of the baby. "Do you still want to go home as soon as you can?"

"No," she smiled. "The reunion is over. Besides, how can I leave this chubby little girl sooner than I have to?"

"We can't take her with us."

"I know." Margaret looked at her niece. She didn't want to think about leaving her. "Lets get you into a diaper before you have an accident all over our bed."  Hawkeye took that as his cue and walked across the room to get Janie's bag. He set it on the bed beside the baby. Margaret noticed how ridged he was standing; his face looked contorted with pain. "Are you hurting?" She asked him somewhat sympathetically, taking her attention off of the baby for a moment.

"Yes," Hawkeye stretched. "That floor made my back stiff."  
  
Margaret noticed he really did look uncomfortable. His back was arched and he was trying his best to relieve the tension with his thumbs. She knew he wasn't using it as a come on, he was really hurting. "Let me calm her down and put her to bed and then I'll give you a back rub."  
  
Hawkeye nodded. "Okay."  
  
She put a clean diaper on the baby and put her in her little pajamas. Margaret picked Janie up and cradled her in her arms. Immediately the little girl's eyes started to flutter. After a long day, a full tummy, and a warm bath she was exhausted. Margaret walked around for a bit, calming the baby down until she was sure she was asleep. Gently she placed her in her bassinet in the living room and watched her sleep for a few minutes. When she was sure she'd be all right, Margaret walked back to the bedroom and closed the door a crack. Hawkeye was lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. "You must have done something else to it," she said to him as she put on something a little more comfortable.   
  
"Nothing that I can remember," he groaned.  
  
"Maybe it's just the tension, I know how ridged you get when you're upset."

"Yeah."

She got changed quickly and then disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes. When she came out she had taken off her makeup and had a bottle of lotion in her hands. "Roll onto your stomach and I'll give you that back rub."

He did as she said and laid flat on the bed. "Ah," he jumped slightly. "That's cold."

Margaret was straddling him and had just squirted the lotion onto his bare back. "Stop being a baby."

"Its cold. I saw you warm it up in your hands for the baby. Why can't you do that for me?"

"Sorry." Her hands moved over his back. "I will next time."

"You just like her better than me."

She smiled. "She's a baby. I forgot for a moment that you were too."

"Ha, ha." He said sarcastically.

"You really are tight." She was working on his lower back. "I'm sure its the stress. It has to be."

"Yeah." He closed his eyes and let her hands work their magic. It wasn't often that he was the one getting the back rub. Normally that was her. Sometimes she would come home from a hard days work and he would take care of her. Because he wasn't working right now, his life was pretty stress free. 

She felt him start to relax under her and then his breathing turned deep. "You sleeping?" He didn't answer her, so she took that as a yes. She stopped and moved off of him.

"Don't stop," he mumbled.

Margaret smiled and stroked his hair. "You're falling asleep on me."  
  
"It's really helping, just a little longer," he mumbled against the covers.  
  
"If I keep going you'll fall asleep, and I can't move you."  
  
"Then I'll move," he said as he lifted up and moved so he was resting against the pillows. He worked with the button on his pants and took them off so he was lying there in his underwear.   
  
"I'll tell you what, get under the covers and I'll massage you from behind." She was getting tired too and knew he wouldn't last long.  
  
"Okay." He held up the sheets and let her crawl under with him. She turned off the light and then scooted so she was pressed up against him.  
  
"Turn around," she instructed. Hawkeye rolled onto his other side. Slowly Margaret worked his lower back with her thumbs. Within minutes he was asleep and Margaret soon followed.

Neither one of them moved during the night. The only thing that changed was that Margaret's arm wrapped around him instead of massaging. It had been pretty early when they went to sleep, but that didn't change the fact that Margaret was still tired when the baby woke her up at seven. She stumbled out of bed and found her way out into the living area. Janie was crying now. 

"I'm here, honey. Hang on one second." She picked the baby up and held her against her chest. "Its okay. Calm down before you wake up the entire hotel. I know, honey. You were scared when no one was there. You don't like to be alone, but I'm here now." Margaret bounced her for a little and calmed her down. "There you go. All better now." Margaret wiped some tears away. "Are you hungry for a bottle? I think you are."

Margaret made a bottle for the baby and sat down on the couch with her cradling while she ate. The baby closed her eyes again when she was finished with the bottle. Katie had told Margaret that every time the baby ate she always fell asleep for a little bit. She held the baby because she didn't feel like getting up.

Margaret tried to keep her eyes open, but it wasn't working. She was still very tired and wanted nothing more than to go back and join her finance in bed. When she was sure Janie was asleep, she gently got up and placed her in the bassinet. She didn't want to risk falling asleep with the baby in her arms.   
  
Quietly Margaret drifted back to the bedroom and slipped in beside Hawk. He hadn't even stirred when Janie started crying, he was still lying in the same position she had left him in. Margaret curled up beside him and laid her head on his chest. He took up a lot of space, his arms and legs were outstretched so she couldn't help but touch him.   
  
About an hour later Janie woke up again. This time Hawkeye heard her as well and beat Margaret to her side. He was quick to pick her up and immediately started rocking her in his arms. "I'm surprised," Margaret yawned. "It's only eight o'clock and you're up."   
  
He looked at her groggily no reply came; he was too tired to argue. "Let's take her with us back to bed."   
  
Margaret yawned again, "I don't see why not." They carried her back into the bedroom and climbed in, settling the baby between them on the large bed. Hawkeye reached out and let his hand rest on Margaret's hip. With Janie being content between them, they both feel asleep.   
  
Janie had fallen back asleep too, but only for a few minutes. She was ready to play in the mornings. She reached over to her side and found her aunt there, so she tugged. She had a small grip on Margaret's shirt and wanted to get that piece of material into her mouth. Margaret groaned. "Not now, Hawk." The baby gurgled then and Margaret opened her eyes. "Hi, honey. You're a pretty face to wake up to." Again Janie giggled and tried harder to stuff her aunt's pajama top into her mouth. "You want to play, don't you?"   
  
"Yes." Hawkeye said moving his hand down her thigh.   
  
Margaret looked at him and smiled. "I thought you were sleeping."   
  
"I was, but your voice woke me up."   
  
"Funny, that doesn't work at home."   
  
He grinned and placed his hand on the baby's chubby tummy. "Morning kiddo. What are you trying to do, take Aunt Maggie's shirt off her? I have to ask you to stop. That's my department."   
  
Margaret rolled her eyes. "You're horrible." She rolled out of bed and picked the baby up. "We're going to order some breakfast. You want anything special?"   
  
"No. All set." He yawned and rolled onto his stomach. "I don't know why   
I'm so tired today."   
  
"Because we haven't been getting much sleep since we've been here and it's   
been torture with my family."   
  
"True."   
  
Hawkeye let Margaret and Janie go without another word. He drifted back to sleep easily without thinking about getting up. The thought of getting out of bed never crossed his mind. Food sounded good, but he was hoping his fiancé would bring it to him. She hadn't given him any indication that she was going to do that, so he was pretty sure she wouldn't.   
  
After breakfast was ordered Margaret sat the baby down on the floor and gave her some toys to play with. Margaret took a seat on the couch with her feet curled under her looking at the baby play. She could practically hear her biological clock and it was telling her to start trying as soon as possible. She didn't want to listen, however, because even if she and Hawkeye were married at the moment, he wouldn't be ready. Since he would be their child she thought it would be better to wait until they were both ready for that. Watching Janie made her realize just how much she really wanted children and that she found the perfect man to have them with.   
  
There was a knock at the door fifteen minutes later. "That should be our food," she told the baby. "Maybe we can find something to give to you." She stood up and went to the door making sure she had her robe tied securely around her before she opened it. She placed her hand on the doorknob and opened the door, but she wasn't expecting to see the person standing there. "Katie?!"


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

  
"Yes," she smiled. She pushed past her sister. "Where's my baby girl?"   
  
Margaret pointed and looked out in the hall to see if anyone was with her. She saw a young man coming with the food and waited for him. He wheeled the food in and then left. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to   
be here until later, much later."   
  
"I couldn't stay away from my baby any longer." Katie had Janie in her arms cuddling her and hugging her. The infant had missed her mother and kept her little head on her mother's shoulder.   
  
"Well, uh...I thought uh...I wasn't expecting you so soon," she stuttered as she nervously glanced across the room. The door to the bedroom was half open.   
  
"I'm sorry, I know I probably should have called first, but I was just too anxious, I had to see my baby." Katie had a bright smile on her face; it was obvious that she had missed her daughter very much.   
  
"Oh, don't worry about it," Margaret tried to smile. "How was your evening with Rick?"   
  
Katie hadn't really seemed to hear her; she was too busy playing with her daughter. After a moment she shrugged, "We talked some things through."   
  
"And?" Margaret pressed, that wasn't the reaction she had been looking for. "You just talked?"   
  
Katie looked at her sister then, "We had a nice evening." She said evenly. Margaret could hardly believe that Katie wasn't sharing details; they had always told each other everything. She wanted to press further, but she decided not to, Margaret hadn't been totally honest with her either, not that she asked. "When was the last time she was fed?" Katie asked then.   
  
"A little over an hour and a half ago." Margaret moved the breakfast cart out of her way and pulled it over to the table.   
  
"Do you mind if I feed her while you eat?"   
  
Margaret would have preferred she just left; she was getting nervous, Hawkeye was right in the next room. He might have walked out any moment. "Uh..." She looked back at the door. "Sure." If she turned her away, Katie would have just become suspicious.   
  
"Thanks."   
  
Margaret sighed and sat down. "There's a bottle in the door." Katie found it and closed the refrigerator.   
  
"I hope she wasn't too much of a bother," Katie said as she heated some water.   
  
"No, none at all. She was a perfect guest."   
  
Katie smiled proudly. "I hoped she would be. I know it hasn't even been twenty four hours, but I've never missed someone so much in my whole life."  
  
It was easy to see that the baby had missed her mother too. She had fun with her aunt and uncle, but when she woke up in the morning, she was ready for her mommy. She was only four months old and had never been away from her mother for that amount of time. Margaret was going to try to talk to her sister, but she could see that she was preoccupied. "I'll be right back."  
  
"Okay." Katie didn't even look up.  
  
Margaret stood up and walked to the bedroom. Hawkeye was still sleeping so she sat down next to him and shook his shoulder. "Hawk, wake up." She whispered. She didn't want her sister to hear voices. "Hawkeye!" She said firmly.  
  
"What?" He groaned.  
  
"Shh."  
  
"Make up your mind." He mumbled.  
  
"Listen to me. Katie's here to get the baby. I didn't know she was coming."  
  
"And?" He didn't even bother to open his eyes. He was lying on his stomach with his head buried under a pillow.  
  
"You know! What are we going to do?"  
  
"Nothing." He rolled over to look at her. "Its time to grow up."  
  
She sat strait squaring her shoulders. "Pierce!"  
  
He didn't care what he said at this point. They were two adults on a vacation together. Any moron could have guessed that they would be staying together. "I don't care anymore. I'm not hiding in the closet or pretending I'm not here."  
  
She glared at him and stood up. "Fine." She didn't know what else to do. Maybe he would fall back to sleep. It was a mistake to wake him up in the first place. Margaret turned and left the room shutting the door behind her.  
  
Katie looked at her sister then. "Who were you talking to?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I heard voices. What's going on?"  
  
Margaret wasn't quick to answer, she wasn't sure whether to tell her sister or not. It would be so much easier if she just got it over with, but she wasn't sure how her sister would take the news. "Well..." She started slowly.  
  
Katie was watching her anxiously, waiting for some sort of answer. She had noticed how peculiar her sister was acting. Margaret's eyes locked on something on the floor and Katie turned to follow her gaze. Hanging over the top of the couch was a single T-shirt. Katie looked from the shirt to her sister. "Whose is that?" It looked much too big to belong to Margaret.  
  
"Uh...it's mine," Margaret said quickly as she pulled it off the couch.  
  
Katie put one hand on her hip. "That's a man's shirt," she pointed out to her sister as if she didn't know.   
  
"I know," Margaret told her.   
  
"Since when do you wear men's clothes?" She asked curiously.  
  
"It's uh...well...it's Hawkeye's."  
  
Katie's eyes flared a little bit. "It's Hawkeye's?"  
  
"He gave it to me," she told her.   
  
There was no way that Katie was buying that. "You're lying."  
  
Margaret could never lie to her sister. She could try, but more often than not Katie would call her on it. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Margaret," Katie stood up. "You and I both know something's going on here. Now what is it?"  
  
After a few moments of trying to think of something to say she finally opened her mouth. That however was not going to work because Hawkeye walked out of the bedroom in a pair of pajama pants and a white t-shirt. Katie turned around and looked behind her when she saw her sister's eyes go wide. "Morning," Hawkeye said casually.  
  
"Morning." Katie didn't know what to say.   
  
Hawkeye walked over to the table and grabbed a cup of coffee. He was getting some satisfaction out of seeing his fiancé speechless. He walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek and whispered in her ear. "Deal with it." Margaret glared at him, but didn't say anything. "Well, it would be nice to chat with you two, but I'm going to jump in the shower."  
  
They waited until Hawkeye was back in the bedroom before they said anything. Katie placed her daughter on the floor and gave her some of the toys that were there, and then she looked her sister in the eye. "He's been staying here, hasn't he?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What are you thinking?" Katie crossed the room to be closer to her sister.  
  
Margaret didn't like the tone her sister was taking with her. She wasn't a child, and didn't want to be treated like one. Especially not from her little sister. "We're here on vacation. We're engaged. We're both thirty, give or take a year. Of course we're staying together."  
  
Katie clenched her jaw. "He slept here when my little girl was here!"  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes. Now that sounded ridiculous to be upset about. "Katie, listen to yourself. There isn't anything wrong with this. You did it."  
  
"What?" Margaret didn't like that her sister was pretending she was all pure and innocent. She knew better than that. "I would never do such a thing."  
  
"Oh, don't give me that." The real Margaret Houlihan was coming out now. "Aren't you the same person that called me up six months after you and Rick started dating and cried because you thought you were pregnant? You were no virgin when you got married."  
  
"Yes, but now I ..."  
  
"Now, nothing! You're the same person. There is nothing wrong with showing the person you love, just how much you love them with physical affection! I know too much about you Katherine Joan Houlihan. Don't act like the rest of those bigots we call family. You're better than them."  
  
"Yes but...well..." Katie was flabbergasted. "How long has this been going on?" She stammered when she couldn't think of a comeback fast enough.  
  
Margaret crossed her arms and eyed her sister before speaking. "We're living together actually," she told her seriously.  
  
It took a moment for Katie to realize what she had just said. When she did, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Living together?!" She screeched. "You're living with that man?!" Katie pointed towards the bedroom.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Margaret!" Katie gasped. "It's bad enough that you're sleeping with him, but living with him too?"  
  
"Don't you think you're over reacting?"  
  
"I am not!" She retorted. "How could you keep this from me? What the hell were you thinking?!"  
  
Margaret was getting mad. They were both grown adults who were in love and getting married. It was nobody else's business. "It's really none of your business what we do," she growled.   
  
"None of my business?!" She shouted. "You slept with him while my child was here!"

"Slept, as in we were sleeping in the same bed."  
  
"Like I believe that."  
  
"Katie! You know I wouldn't do that if Janie was here."  
  
"Oh? I didn't think you'd ever live with a man before you were married, but you do. Maybe I don't know you as well as I thought I did."  
  
"What?! That's absurd!"  
  
Katie stood firmly. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep it a secret from me?"  
  
"Its none of your business."  
  
"So, its none of my business who's sleeping in the same place as my daughter is?"  
  
"Are you saying you don't want her around Hawkeye?"  
  
"No! I'm not saying that."   
  
Margaret was standing tall with her arms folded on her chest. "Then what the hell are you saying? I know you're not the most innocent person in the world, Katie. I know you even lived with Rick for a month when you couldn't find an apartment."  
  
Katie's eyes widened. How did her sister find out about that? No one was supposed to know. "What are you talking about?" There, she'd play it dumb. Her sister narrowed her eyes and she could see this was going to turn into a huge fight. Margaret hated when someone lied to her. "Okay, okay. So we did, but I moved back out."  
  
"Well, guess what? Hawkeye and I are getting married. We're not living apart ever again. At least we're engaged. You and Rick weren't."  
  
Katie felt herself being backed into a corner. She should have known better than to try to take on her sister. "Fine! Why didn't you tell me about this? I have every right in the world to know who's around my baby. I let you keep her over night because I trusted you."  
  
"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the two of us sharing a room. But Janie was safe and happy."  
  
Katie was beginning to soften now. "I still don't understand why you didn't tell me."  
  
"I've had enough fighting on the trip. I didn't want to fight with you, but I guess it didn't work. I should have told you about the hotel."  
  
Katie smiled. "So that's why you have such a nice room. You're not the only on staying here. I get it now. That's why you didn't want me to come here. It's all falling together now."  
  
Margaret chuckled slightly. "Glad you find it amusing."  
  
Katie looked around the room. "No, I'm not amused. I'm jealous."  
  
"Jealous?" Margaret could hardly believe her ears.  
  
"You have a man who would get you all of this," she gestured to the extravagant surroundings. "Rick would never do this for me. He wouldn't think the money would be worth it."  
  
Margaret had to admit she was lucky, Hawkeye loved to indulge her. "I think he feels bad."  
  
"Bad?"  
  
"He's not working right now," she told her sister. It was nice to finally be able to talk openly. "I think he's feeling guilty."  
  
"I don't think he has anything to feel guilty about. It's obvious that he loves you very much."   
  
Margaret nodded, "But he feels bad that he can't work and that I have to."  
  
Katie looked at her sister and smiled. "Then how is he paying for all this?"  
  
Margaret grinned, he hadn't really disclosed that to her either. "To tell you the truth, I have no clue, but then again, he's been a single doctor for the last couple of years."  
  
"Now Margaret," Katie told her. "He was a Captain and you were a Major during the war. You and I both know that even though he was a doctor, you were still making more money than him."  
  
"I know." She had often thought about that herself.  
  
"This just keeps getting more and more interesting," Katie smiled curiously.  
  
Margaret smiled. "You know, I've been getting more and more curious too." She walked over to the table and sat down. "He hasn't slowed down on spending any money."  
  
Katie followed her sister and took a seat also pouring herself a cup of coffee. "What do you think it is? Is it just a large credit line?"  
  
"It can't be. He pays mostly cash." Margaret grabbed her food. It had gotten a little cold, but she was still hungry. "Do you want some?"  
  
"No thanks."  
  
"I've tried to think what it could be. I don't know, maybe his father sends him some money."  
  
"What does his father do?" Katie asked. She was very intrigued about this.  
  
"He's a county doctor. Nothing that makes a fortune."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I know."   
  
"A mystery," Katie smiled. "I love a good mystery. Why haven't you asked him about it?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't want to pry."  
  
"You're getting married to the man. You should know every thing about him."  
  
Margaret smiled. She liked a little mystery, but she really wanted to know the answer to the money question. Hawkeye had spent a lot of money over the last few months. "Yeah. I think..." Hawkeye walked back into the room. "Hi," she smiled.  
  
"Hi." He wasn't sure if that was a fake smile or not. She could be furious with him and was just waiting for him to get close enough so she could belt him. "How are things?"  
  
Katie fixed him with that familiar Houlihan look that Margaret had. "So, you're living with my sister."  
  
Hawkeye was shocked that she found that out. He didn't expect Margaret to tell he that. "I am?"  
  
"Yes." Margaret said. "I told her. No one else will know, will they Katie?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh." Hawkeye sat down at the table with them. "How was your date with your husband?"  
  
"It was okay."  
  
"Just okay?" She nodded. "Maybe I should go find something to do and you two can chat. I feel like I'm interrupting."  
  
Margaret and Katie exchanged a look. "No baby, it's okay," she smiled pleasantly as she took a sip of her coffee.  
  
Hawkeye looked from one woman to the next, something was going on. "Are you sure?" He asked with caution.  
  
"Relax, everything is fine," she told him with a pat on the hand.  
  
"So then why do I get the feeling something's going on?" They were acting a little strange. Hawkeye had never seen Margaret look, well, so cheerful.   
  
Margaret and Katie exchanged a smile which pressed his suspicions more. Then she turned to him and said, "For the first time since we've gotten here I'm actually happy. We don't have to see my family any more and we don't have to sneak around."  
  
"I guess you have a point." He picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite out of it. Hawkeye was glad she was happy, but he was still convinced he had walked in on something. Probably a sister thing.  
  
"So," Katie started. "What do you two have planned for today?"  
  
"Nothing yet," Margaret said as she ate.  
  
"I was planning on sleeping, but that's shot to hell now," Hawkeye added.  
  
"Oh, you poor baby. You just wait until you have a child of your own. They don't sleep in and neither do you."  
  
"That's what Margaret's for."  
  
Margaret looked at him. "What?!"  
  
He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm kidding. Don't beat me up."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "One of these days..."  
  
"What?" He challenged.  
  
"You don't want to know."  
  
Hawkeye looked at Katie and smiled. "She's going to kill me one of these days. If you don't hear from me for a while, alert the authorities."  
  
Katie chuckled. "I don't think you're in any danger. She loves you too much." Hawkeye smiled lovingly at his fiancé. He leaned in and gave her a tender kiss on the lips. "Cut it out, you two. You're making me sick."  
  
Margaret stuck her tongue out at her sister. "Mind your own business."  
  
"I'd love to," she looked away when they kissed again. "But as you can see, it's a little hard to help but notice."  
  
Hawkeye grinned, he had a strong urge to say something in response to that, but he didn't want to go down that road just yet. Margaret would have killed him if she'd heard what he was thinking.

"Well too bad," Margaret told her with a grin. Hawkeye sat back and put a hand on her leg.   
  
"Just because I know about two, doesn't mean you have to show me too," she grinned.  
  
Hawkeye's hand moved up her thigh, he was getting frisky. Because of everything that had happened the day before, including their little house guest, they hadn't been able to spend some time together. Between his anxiousness and her high spirits, he was starting to feel frisky.  
  
"Don't worry," Margaret told her. "We won't, not yet anyway."  
  
"You're funny."  
  
Because they were hidden by the table, Margaret let him move up her thigh some more, but when he attempted to near her crotch she stopped him. There were some things they didn't need to share with her sister.   
  
"So what are you going to do today?" Margaret asked as she held his hand.  
  
"We're going on a little family outing," Katie smiled. "Rick and I agreed it would be good for all of us."  
  
"That sounds like a good idea."  
  
"I think so. We had some time to ourselves last night, now I think it's time to include Janie as well."  
  
Margaret smiled at her niece. "I'm sure she'd love that, she really missed you."  
  
Katie smiled as she looked at her daughter, "She's a momma's girl all right." After a moment she looked at her watch. "We should get going though, I promised Rick I'd be home before noon."

   
Margaret stood up making Hawkeye's hand slip off of her. She gathered the baby's things that were spread throughout the room. "I hope you have a good time." 

"So do I." She looked at Hawkeye. "You know what's going on, don't you?" He nodded. "I figured." 

"No details," he assured her with a smile. 

"Well, we really want to work things out." Katie spoke to both of them. She got up and started to help her sister with Janie's things. "We need to try being a family. We really haven't done that yet." 

"She's a joy to be with. We took her out to dinner last night and did a little window shopping." 

"I wish you would have told me. I would have made sure you had her carriage." 

"No problem." Hawkeye said. "We would have held her anyway." 

Katie smiled knowing that she had left her daughter in safe hands. She just wished that they lived closer because there wasn't another person in the world that she trusted like she trusted her sister. "Where are her bath things?" 

Margaret bent down and picked the baby up. "In the bathroom. Hawk, can you get them?" 

"Yeah." He grabbed another piece of bacon and took it with him. 

Margaret looked at the baby in her arms. "I had a wonderful time with you." Janie smiled. "I hope you did too. We loved having you." She gave her a kiss and then handed the baby to Katie. "See you tomorrow?" 

"Of course. You don't think I'm going to go a day without seeing my older sister, do you." 

She smiled. "Okay." Hawkeye brought the baby's bath things and handed them to Margaret. She placed them in the diaper bag and then put it on her sister's shoulder. "Call me later." 

"I will." 

"Bye honey." Margaret kissed the baby. 

"Bye little girl," Hawkeye said. 

"Bye," Katie smiled. 

Hawkeye opened the door for the two of them. "Need help?" 

"All under control." 

"Bye." He shut the door and turned to face his fiancé. "We're alone again." 

"Yes we are." 

He folded her in his arms. "See, I told you she wouldn't be so bad." 

"Yeah, but you didn't have to be mean about it." She smiled against his chest. 

"Mean?" 

"You don't call, "deal with it' nice, do you?" She pulled back and looked at him. 

"Hey, I never claimed to be good with words." She rolled her eyes and put her head against his chest again. "So, what was that all about when I walked out of the shower? What are you and your sister up to?"  
  
"We were just talking," she told him; he didn't need to know what about.   
  
"I know how you two get when you're together."  
  
She pulled back and looked at him again, "How we get when we're together? She's my sister, we talk about...sister things."  
  
Hawkeye eyed her skeptically; he knew more than she knew. "Okay," he decided to drop the subject for a while. Eventually she'd break and tell him. "If you say so."  
  
"Thank you," Margaret laid her head against his chest again. "I'm so happy," she sighed. "We don't have to do anything or go anywhere; it's just going to be you and me all day."  
  
"I know," he rubbed her back. "Just you and me."  
  
"And you know what we should do..." Her hand moved up his chest.  
  
Hawkeye grinned and played along; he liked it when she was aggressive. "Tell me." His hand moved down her back.  
  
Margaret leaned up and touched her lips to his ear. "We should..." She whispered.  
  
"Yes?" He asked anxiously.  
  
"Go back to sleep." She pulled back and started walking away from him.  
  
Hawkeye groaned, "Margaret."

"Stop being a baby," she called over her shoulder.

Hawkeye locked the door to the room and then walked into the bedroom. Margaret had her robe draped across the end of the bed and was just getting under the covers when he walked in. "Honey, you know I don't like to be teased."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know." He shut the door.

"Would you close the drapes so the sun doesn't come in? I'm so tired."

"We went to bed early last night." He said as he did as she asked. "You shouldn't be tired. It's not like we did anything."

She rolled her eyes. "You're whining because we went one night without sex?"

"Well...we are on vacation." He crawled into bed with her. What else was he going to do? 

"I'm taking a nap." She said firmly. "I've been stressed to the max lately. That's tiring as hell."

"Yeah." He really wasn't that interested in hearing about it, but he understood. "I'll nap with you and we can both be rested for later." She smiled and closed her eyes. Next thing she knew his arms were wrapped around her and she was dead to the world.

Hawkeye didn't mind taking a nap so much, once he was lying with her in his arms he started to relax. Between his sore back and the crying baby, he realized how tired he really was. About five minutes after Margaret had fallen asleep, so did he.  
  
When Margaret woke up she was a little bewildered. Hawkeye was holding her so tight, she could barely move. On top of the lock he had on her, his face was buried in the back of her neck. She leaned over as much as she could to see the clock; surprisingly they'd been asleep for two hours.

  
Margaret tried to move, but his grip on her only tightened more. He was so much bigger and stronger than her that she couldn't do anything but lay there. "Honey," she hoped he'd wake at her voice. Of course he didn't. "Hawkeye," she said louder.  
  
"Hmuphrr," he groaned into her neck.  
  
"Honey," she tried to move from his arms, but again he held her tighter. "Baby," she moved her hand to his side and moved under his shirt. Hawkeye groaned again, he loosened his grip and rolled onto his back. Unbelievable as it seemed, he was just like a puppy, he loved to have his stomach rubbed.

He didn't wake up at all. She smiled to herself and kissed him on the cheek. "You're so cute," she whispered as she sat up.  
  
"I know."  
  
She looked back at the man that voice belonged to. "Hey, you're awake."  
  
"I always wake up to a kiss."  
  
She smiled. "So that's the secret. For someone who didn't want to take a nap you seemed to enjoy it."  
  
He reached up to her and pulled her down on him. "I discovered I was really tired."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes." He kissed her.   
  
"I take it you got your energy back."  
  
He wiggled his eyebrows. "You better believe it."  
  
She kissed him. "I haven't even taken a shower yet."  
  
"You don't need one. You're only going to work up a sweat."  
  
"I am?"  
  
"Oh, yes." He kissed her pulling her closer until all of her weight was resting on him. Then he rolled them over on the bed so he was over top of her. "I think." He kissed her again. "That we should stay in here all day." Kiss. "What do you think?"  
  
"We'll see," she smiled. She moved her hands down his side and up under his shirt brining his shirt up and pulling it over his head. She tossed it across the room.   
  
"I want you so bad," he said as she rolled him onto his back.  
  
Margaret kissed his chest and smiled. "What makes this time any different?"  
  
"We're finally alone." Hawkeye pulled her up so he could kiss her. "We don't have to do anything else for the rest of the trip." With a grin and another kiss he added, "Well, maybe except for one thing."  
  
Margaret wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He slowly moved them so they were lying on their sides. His hands moved to her waist and disappeared under her shirt. Margaret moved her mouth away from his and moaned slightly as he started feel around.

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"Did you remember the sun tan lotion?" She asked her fiancé as the elevator door opened and she walked out in front of him. Margaret turned to look at him as he stepped out behind her.  
  
"Yes, it's right here." He shook the bag he was holding. "I heard you the first five times you told me."  
  
Margaret laced her fingers through his and fell into step beside him. "Well," she looked up at him. "At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I forgot it yesterday."  
  
Hawkeye picked up her hand and kissed it. "Then it's a good thing we left when we did." She wouldn't have been very good company had she burned. On top of a bad weekend, a sun burn would have made everything even worse. "We wouldn't have been able to have any fun," he leered.  
  
Margaret grinned and looked away from his amused smile. "You'd better watch it, I could fix that too."  
  
"Oh I don't know," he said casually. "You sounded like you enjoying yourself."  
  
Margaret tried to jab him in the stomach with her elbow but he caught it. "Why can't you ever just keep what we do in the bedroom, in the bedroom?" She snapped playfully at him as she struggled to move out of his grasp.   
  
"Oh no you don't," he told her as he grabbed her around the waist. "You're just as bad as me, admit it."  
  
Margaret grinned and giggled softly. He was right; she melted every time he touched her. "Well, I'm not the one who announces everything we do," she retorted.   
  
"Announces everything? No one knows about anything we do."  
  
"Well, you came very close today," she shot back. "I'm trying to have a conversation with my sister, and you're feeling me up."  
  
Hawkeye opened the gate to the pool. "She didn't see anything."  
  
Margaret glared at him. "If you're hand had moved any higher..."  
  
"We would have reached heaven a few minutes earlier," he shrugged.  
  
Margaret glanced at him and smiled, he was incorrigible. She found a set of beach chairs and sat down as he sat beside her. Margaret started pulling off her clothes to reveal her swim suit. "Do you mind?" She glanced over her shoulder to him.  
  
Hawkeye smiled widely. "It would be an honor." He quickly moved from his chair to sit behind her.   
  
Margaret sat forward so he could have access to her whole back. "It's a good thing we decided to come out here today. You need a tan," she mused as she lazily looked at the water.  
  
"I thought you liked the fact that I've been working out."  
  
"Oh I do," she grinned. He had a lovely physique. "I just think a tan would make you look extra sexy."

"Hmm..." He pretended to think. "Extra sexy...does that mean extra sex too?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Get your mind out of the gutter."  
  
He smiled to himself. "Okay, you're all done. Do you want me to do the front too?"  
  
"No thank you," she stood up. "Maybe if we were alone I'd let you have some fun, but not here. Now lay down. You're going to burn if you don't put any of the sun block on."  
  
"I will not. I never burn."  
  
She put her hands on her hips. "You say that, but you'll be whining tonight when you're lying in bed and can feel the heat radiating off of your back. Lay down."  
  
He chuckled to himself and did as he was told. It was true that he rarely got a burn. The pale skin turned right into a nice tan. It must have been the Italian heritage from his mother. "This feels nice." He liked her hands roaming all around his back like that.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are you sure you don't want me to do your chest?"  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"You don't know what you're missing."  
  
She smiled. "Believe me; you've rubbed my chest plenty of times. I know exactly what I'm missing."  
  
"And you're still turning it down. Must be something wrong with you."  
  
She slapped his back and then moved away to put the lotion on her chest. "To be more accurate, there's something wrong with my fiancé. He can't keep his hands to himself."  
  
Hawkeye laid back and watched as she applied the lotion in small circles. If she wouldn't let him do the rubbing, then he would settle for watching. "Is there something wrong with wanting to please my woman?"  
  
Margaret noticed he was watching her intently, his eyes following her fingers as they moved across her upper chest. He was probably undressing her with his eyes again. "Absolutely nothing," she told him with a smile. She loved how irresistible he always made her feel. "I just happen to think we don't need to share with other people what we do in the bedroom."  
  
"That's why we should have gone to the beach," he leered. "We could have had some real fun there."   
  
"You don't ever give up, do you?" Margaret picked up her sunglasses and put them on. She sat back down in the chair and leaned back. "Move, you're in my way." He was sitting in front of her so she couldn't put her feet up.   
  
Margaret kicked him gently when he didn't budge. "You know," he said with a smile. "Maybe it is a good thing we stayed here." He started moving up towards her. Margaret tried to keep him from moving over her but he over powered her. "We can just run up to our room whenever we like."  
  
"Pierce!" She squealed as he covered her body with his. His arms wrapped around her body and his mouth was moved to her neck. "Please!" She tried to push him off again.  
  
Hawkeye lifted off enough to look around. "No one's out here, we're okay," he teased. He loved ruffling her feathers.  
  
"No! Someone will see!" She was trying hard not to laugh as she screamed.  
  
"Shhh...or someone will hear," he played with her as he tried to hold her closer. He started to tickle her, which in turn caused her to scream louder. 

"Honey," she giggled. "Please."

"Why?"

She smirked. "Because you're blocking the sun. I don't want to be as pale as you."

He smiled and moved off of her. "As long as you have a reason."

She pushed her glasses down over her eyes and got comfortable in the lounge chair. "It's a damn good one too. Look at you."

"Me?" He leaned back in his chair. "You're the pale Irish one, not me."

She rolled her eyes under the black of the lenses. "But you're still pale, and you're the one that's supposed to have a nice tan."

"I will after today." He placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Picturing her naked was a lot better than looking at her in a swim suit, although it was at times a toss up. Sometimes the mystery was nice, but there was no longer any mystery between the two of them. He knew her body inside and out better than he knew his own.

Hawkeye had dozed off lying in the chair. Margaret was close, but was still aware of the things going on around her. She could hear the pool boys walk by and heard when people entered the pool area. It was too bad that they did, but maybe that would make her fiancé keep his hands to himself. Some how she doubted that would happen. 

Hawkeye opened his eyes twenty minutes after he had first shut them and looked around. He couldn't find his fiancé but her things were still there. Her glasses were resting on her towel. He sat up and looked around. Seeing her in the pool he smiled. He was always in a playful mood and there was nothing better than playing in the water. He got up and walked over to the edge of the pool and walked in. She hadn't spotted him yet, so he slowly made his way to her. 

Margaret wasn't paying attention to anything in particular; she was just enjoying the coolness of the water. Hawkeye moved in silently behind her, waiting for the exact moment to move in and sweep her up and into his arms. He watched as she dipped back into the water and wet her hair. When she straitened she smoothed it back with her hands and then sank back down into the water. Hawkeye chose this moment to make his move.  
  
He took the two steps to close the distance between them and surprised her by grabbing her by the hips and pulling her back so she was pressed against him. It didn't take Margaret any time at all to figure out whose arms she was in. The instantaneous feeling of his soft lips on her neck was a dead give away. Margaret didn't fight him; instead she stayed in his arms and involuntarily tilted her head slightly so he could work more of her neck. "What is with you lately?" She asked after she had gotten over the shock of his surprise. "You're so...touchy."  
  
Hawkeye lifted her slightly and rearranged his grip so she was securely in his arms. "I don't hear any objections," he stated.  
  
It was the truth, she wasn't objecting. In fact, she was going along with him. "You and I seem to be attached at the hip lately."  
  
Margaret felt his lips curl against her skin. "In more ways than one," he mumbled.  
  
Normally she would have said something in retaliation, but there was no harm done. She was the only one who had heard it; he had practically whispered it in her ear. "Yes, I know," she grinned. "However," she told him. "We don't need to give anyone a free show."   
  
"No one can see anything," he whispered. "For all they know we're just cuddling."  
  
"We are just cuddling." Margaret was beginning to understand what he wanted; his hips were pressed into her backside. "And that's all we're going to do."  
  
He scooped her up into his arms and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him. "We could do more," he mumbled.  
  
"No," she pushed his mouth away from her.   
  
"Wow!"  
  
She was confused. "What?"  
  
"You're so light in the water."  
  
Her eyes narrowed and her jaw dropped. "What are you trying to say?!"  
  
"Nothing," he grinned.  
  
"Are you saying I'm fat?"  
  
"No," he smiled. "Just that you're lighter in the water."  
  
She slapped him playfully. "I am not fat!"  
  
"I never said you were." He laughed. "You're the one that said that."  
  
"I wouldn't wear a bikini if I was fat!"  
  
"Margaret," he tried to stifle his laughter. "You're perfectly perfect. You're sexy and gorgeous and absolutely beautiful."  
  
"Good!"  
  
He chuckled to himself. She could be so insecure at times. His hand moved up her back and grabbed the string of her top. "You know, with one swift pull..."  
  
"Don't you dare."  
  
"Why not? I'd be a very happy man."  
  
She moved so that her legs were wrapped around his waist. "We don't need anyone to see how happy you can get."  
  
Hawkeye grinned and leaned forward to kiss her. "See, you're protective of me whether or not you like to admit it."  
  
Margaret let him kiss her quickly. "I just don't want to get arrested for indecent exposure," she teased him.  
  
"So then I guess we're going to have to stay here." His hands moved to cup her ass as he pushed her hips into his. "Like this."  
  
Margaret played coy, "Well then it looks like we won't be able to go upstairs." She traced a finger up his chest, "And work on your problem."  
  
Hawkeye's eyes widened, "Well I never said..."  
  
"I'm not going to be seen with you like that."  
  
A mischievous smile spread across his face, his hands started to roam across her backside. "Then maybe we should do something about it."  
  
Margaret grinned and moved out of his arms, she started swimming away from him. "Just stay in the water, I'll wait for you." She started to make her way towards the steps.   
  
"Oh no you don't," he started swimming after her.  
  
She laughed and giggled as she tried to get away from him. He was a much better swimmer than her and took longer strides in the water. But she reached the steps before he did and climbed out laughing all the way. "Looks like you're stuck in the water."  
  
He swam around to the side of the pool where their chairs were. She had picked up her towel and was drying herself off. "You're leaving me all alone."  
  
"I'm right here," she smiled at him.   
  
"I can't believe you're doing this to me," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.   
  
"I didn't do anything."  
  
"You think I got myself like this? This is all your fault." He looked around again. "You're the one rubbing against me."  
  
"I was not." She turned around and looked at him. "That was you. You should have thought about what could happen. Now you're stuck."  
  
"I have an idea. Meet me over at the steps with a towel."  
  
"Why would I do that?" She smirked.  
  
"Margaret, please. Its getting worse the longer you stand there in the bikini. Don't you love me?"  
  
"I do, but I also love to torture you."  
  
"Margaret," he tried to reason with her. "Please, help me." He was becoming more desperate. "It's not going to go away, if anything it's only going to continue to get worse," he clenched his jaw.  
  
Margaret just stood there with a grin plastered across her face and her hands perched on her hips. "Well, that's your problem isn't it?" She gave him one of those looks and then turned to sit down again.  
  
"Margaret!" He shouted suddenly. "So help me, I'll walk right out of this pool." Hawkeye's only real concern now was getting out of the pool. He wasn't going to let her sit there and watch him suffer.  
  
She turned then and looked at him, she could see the challenging look in his eye. "Go ahead, be my guest. It's not like I'm the one who has be seen like that."  
  
Hawkeye's eyes flared again, he knew what she was doing. She really didn't think he'd do it. "Fine," he stated as he started making his way towards the steps.  
  
Margaret watched him grinned the whole time. There was no way that he would walk out of the pool like that. Hawkeye turned and looked back at her. "Margaret! I'm not kidding."  
  
"I know." She loved to make him suffer. He did it to her so often and loved it, and now it was her turn.  
  
Hawkeye's jaw clenched and his nostrils flared. He swam back over to the side of the pool where she was and stared at her. "I'll just get out right here." He placed his hands on the edge of the cement and pulled himself up. He grabbed a towel as soon as he could and wrapped it around his waist. "Thank you."   
  
She smiled. "Anytime."  
  
"You think that's funny?" She nodded. "There really is something wrong with you!"  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yes. Now can we please go upstairs?"  
  
"For what?"  
  
He narrowed his eyes. "I did have something else in mind, but now I think I'll just take a cold shower or do something else to fix my problem."  
  
She chuckled. "Have a good time."  
  
Hawkeye mocked her smirk and snarled at her, in his situation he didn't find her very amusing. "Fine then, you stay here and have your fun laughing at me, and I'll go up the room alone." He pulled his towel tighter around his waist and turned on his heal.  
  
"Do you even have a key?" She called to him as he started walking away.  
  
He stopped walking and looked back at her. "Do you?"  
  
Margaret searched for a moment, "No."  
  
Hawkeye held up the key and jingled it in the air, "Well then it looks like you're going to be out here for a while."  
  
"Fine then, maybe I will." She sat down and got comfortable in her lounge chair.  
  
Hawkeye watched her for a moment; she really didn't believe he'd lock her out. "Have it your way." He started walking back towards the door. Teasing was one thing, but he was in physical pain.  
  
She rolled her eyes and giggled to herself. There was no way he'd do that to her. She could see that he was mad now and there was no sense in going with him now. He could take care of himself this one time. She rolled onto her stomach and laid in the sun wanting to tan her back side as long as she tanned her front.   
  
Hawkeye was in the room for fifteen minutes and started to wonder about her. There was no knock on the door and the phone didn't ring. He looked out the window in the living area to see the pool down below. She was still down there. He rolled his eyes and then lay on the couch turning the TV on. If she was going to be alone, then so could he. He didn't need to be with her every second of the day, he just wanted to be. If she didn't want him, than why would he chase after her?  
  
Margaret looked at her watch that was in her bag and decided that Hawkeye probably wasn't going to come back to the pool. She stood up and gathered her things and headed back to the room. She didn't mean to chase him away like that, but she had to admit that it was nice to have thirty minutes of peace to herself. It took a few minutes to get up to the room, but that was to be expected staying up so high.  
  


Margaret tested the knob first just to see, she knew he wouldn't lock her out. She opened the door and walked into the room where upon she spotted him sitting on the couch. He looked less frustrated and more relaxed then he had before, that was a good thing.   
  
"I'm back," she announced when he didn't look up.  
  
"Okay," he muttered without looking up from the television.  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes and set her bag down. She pushed her sunglasses up and walked over so she was standing next to the couch. "Is there anything good on?"  
  
Hawkeye shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know."  
  
Margaret looked him up and down, he wasn't wearing anything more than a pair of boxers. Margaret found herself being tempted to just walk around in what she was wearing already; it was too hot to put on anything more than that.   
  
She kicked off her sandals, tossed her towel on the back of a bar stool and walked to the mini bar. "Do you want a drink?"  
  
"No," he muttered.  
  
"Okay." She poured herself something refreshing. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
She looked at him oddly to try to read him. He was lying on his side with one hand under his head and the other down by his side. His teeth were clenched. "You okay?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Sorry. You don't have to be snappy."  
  
"I'm not," he insisted.  
  
"Fine." She walked over and took a seat in a chair and crossed her tanned legs. She stared at the TV for a few minutes. "What the hell are we watching?"  
  
"A movie."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "I can see that. It's stupid though."  
  
"Yeah..." She wasn't liking his attitude. There was no reason to be snappy and angry. "Get up and change it then."  
  
"You change it."  
  
"I'm not the one complaining about it."  
  
"Fine," Margaret snapped lightly and got up. She turned the dial to the next channel and then sat back down.  
  
"What the hell is this?" He exclaimed when he saw what she had picked.  
  
"It's better then what we were watching."  
  
"But we have no idea what it is."  
  
"It's a movie," she told him with a touch of anger.  
  
"Well I can see that," he growled. "But what movie?"  
  
"How the hell am I supposed to know? I just turned to it."  
  
"Then why are we watching it?"  
  
"Can't you recognize Ingrid Bergman when you see her," she pointed the screen. "I thought you we the expert when it came to Swedish women."  
  
"What?"  
  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Fine, we'll watch this."  
  
Margaret sat there and watched for a few minutes, but she wasn't really paying attention to the movie. "I'm going to get changed." She stood up and walked way.  
  
Hawkeye stayed there and watched the movie for a while. He thought about the comment Margaret had made on Swedish women and started to get angry. They weren't even together when he was chasing after Inga. He got up and walked into the bedroom. Margaret was standing naked at the dresser pulling some panties out of the drawer. He forgot about his anger and watched her for a moment.   
  
When she spotted him she pulled out some panties and eyed him. "What do you want?"  
  
"Ah..." He had forgotten.  
  
"That's what I thought. Sex."  
  
"Hey, that's not fair Margaret."  
  
"Oh? Isn't that what you always want?" She grabbed a robe and put it on.   
  
Hawkeye had to look away, he wasn't angry anymore, he was hurt. Maybe he did come onto her an awful lot, but it was only because he always wanted to be with her. It was always out of love and admiration, not because he wanted sex all the time. "I didn't come in here for sex," he said lowly.  
  
Margaret clutched her robe tighter, "Sure, I saw the look on your face a minute ago. You were just standing there, sizing me up."  
  
Hawkeye couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No, I wasn't," he told her earnestly. "I came in here to talk to you."  
  
She glared at him and stiffened her jaw. "You came in here to talk?" Her gaze lowered, "It looks like you came in here to do a little more than talk."  
  
"That's not fair!" He retorted. "I didn't come in here to persuade you. I came in here to talk to you."  
  
"Then why were you ogling me?"  
  
Hawkeye sighed, "I wasn't ogling you."  
  
"You know something," she said then. "During the war many people used sex to escape and get away, and you were no the exception to that. All you cared about then was sex, and it's still the only thing you care about now."  
  
His fists clenched along with his jaw. He didn't want to blow his top. "So what? I find you attractive! I love you to death and just want to be with you. I've never made you do something you don't want to, and I never would. I came in here to talk to you. To apologize." 

  
"Oh?" She was listening now. 

  
"Yes. I acted like an ass, and I'm sorry. I know you were teasing me." 

  
She sat down on the bed looking at him. He was serious. "And?"   
  


"And I'm sorry. I love you Margaret. I never wanted to hurt you."   
  


"You didn't hurt me that much. It was a spat. Nothing more." All she ever had to hear was an apology and she was fine. He needed to remember that, but sometimes foolish pride got in his way.   
  


"Are you sure?"   
  


"Yes."   
  


"Good," he sighed with a smile. "Being mad at you gives me a headache." She giggled as he took a seat next to her on the bed. "I love you, and I don't need to have sex with you all the time."   
  


"Its okay," she said. "Sometimes...I...I don't know."   
  


"What? Tell me."   
  


"I don't like feeling used, and sometimes I do."  
  
Margaret tried to look away from him, but he stopped her and held her cheek in his hand. "What?" He asked, searching her eyes.   
  
"I..I..don't know."  
  
"Do you think I use you?" He'd never meant to make her feel that way. He loved her more than anything.  
  
Margaret could see the pain in his eyes; she hadn't meant it the way it sounded. "No, I didn't mean it like that," she tried to reassure him. "I've never been made love to the way you do, and I've never met another person whom I've loved as much as I love you."  
  
Hearing that relieved Hawkeye, he had been worried that he wasn't making her happy. "Honey...I don't understand," he told her. She still hadn't cleared his confusion.  
  
"I like it when you pursue me," she told him. "Sometimes the chase is half the fun. I know I can say some pretty hurtful things at times, but you know I don't mean them." Margaret leaned forward and kissed him softly. "I love you, and I love the way you make me feel. No one has ever made me feel so desirable."

Hawkeye smiled slightly, "I'd do anything for you."  
  
"I know you would," she kissed him again.  
  
"But when you feel like you need your space, its okay to just tell me, I'll understand."  
  
Margaret nodded, "I will."

"Are you sure you will?" She nodded. "You won't make me drag it out of you?"  
  
"No," she smiled. "You make me feel good, but sometimes..."  
  
"Talk to me. Tell me what you're feeling. I want to know," he assured her.   
  
"Well," she looked into his eyes. "There are times when it seems like all you want is sex. It isn't that you don't make me feel good. Its just that...sometimes...well, sometimes you rush through everything else just to get me into bed with you."  
  
"Foreplay?" He had thought he was good at that.  
  
"No, not that. Like when we go out to dinner or like today down at the pool. You don't let us just enjoy being together for a while. You didn't want to be with me and have fun and let me relax. You wanted to rush right back up here, and frankly, I'm not in the mood right now."  
  
Now he understood. But to him it felt like she was placing all the blame on him. "I'm sorry. I know what you mean, honey, but I..."  
  
She knew what he was thinking. She kept fumbling her words and wasn't saying what she really felt. Things kept coming out wrong. "I'm not saying I don't like it, because believe me, I love when you make me feel wanted and sexy. There are times when I want to be with you, without actually being with you. Do you know what I mean?"  
  
"Yes. I get your point. You feel like everything I do leads us to sex."  
  
"Well, yes. Sort of. Like that's all you want." Her head dipped down so she didn't have to look into his hurt eyes.  
  
He sat silent for a moment trying to come up with the right words. He didn't want to get mad at her or have her mad at him. A little arguing was one thing, but all out fighting was another. Finally he found the words and forced her to look at him. "Baby, that's not all I want. I want you and sometimes I get carried away." He smiled. "You remember who I am, right?" She nodded with a small smile. "I come with a high sex drive."  
  
"I know, and I don't mean to complain, but..."  
  
"No, you're right. You want to watch a movie together on the couch and be together, without jumping into sex. You want to kiss, and touch, and just be in each other's company without it always leading to sex."  
  
"Not always," she smiled. "But yes. Sometimes when you hold me in your arms or hold my hand when we walk, its better than sex."  
  
"Better?" He asked with surprise.  
  
"I said sometimes its better. I know we're together because we love each other, not because we have great sex."  
  
He smirked. "Great, huh?"  
  
"You're not following the point."  
  
"Yes I am."   
  
"Hawkeye," she knew he was trying to lighten the mood for his sake. Their entire conversation was making him feel uncomfortable. Hawkeye loved her more than anything; he had never wanted to make her feel that way. Sometimes he just couldn't help himself.  
  
Hawkeye shook his head in understanding, "I know."   
  
"So, then you do understand what I'm saying?"   
  
Hawkeye smiled softly and nodded his head, "I understand."  
  
Margaret could sense that she had probably injured his ego, "Are you okay?" She picked up his hand and patted it.  
  
Hawkeye put on a brighter smile, "I'm fine, you shouldn't have to feel guilty about telling me how you feel. I don't ever want to you to feel that you can't talk to me."  
  
"I'm glad we can talk about this stuff."  
  
"So am I."  
  
Margaret pulled him into a hug. "I don't know how many other men would have understood, I'm so lucky to have you."  
  
Hawkeye rubbed her back, "Me too."  
  
Margaret pulled back and gave him a tender kiss on the lips. "I love you so much. I'm sorry."  
  
"No need to be sorry, honey. I understand what you mean."  
  
"I love that you love me and want to be with me like that, but sometimes you tire me out. Today has been great, and so was last night, but before all of that this trip was hell for me. I was hoping for a little vacation and I haven't had much time to rest."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." Sometimes he forgot that she had more on her plate at the moment than he did. She had to work five days a week and she worked hard. "Well, what do you say we spend some more time by the pool while the sun is still bright and then tonight I'll take you to a nice dinner?"  
  
"Sounds good," she smiled.  
  
"Its a date then." He gave her a kiss. "Do I have another pair of trunks here? I don't want to get back into my wet ones."  
  
"You have the tight ones that you wanted to bring."  
  
He looked at her with a grin. "Can I wear them?"  
  
She chuckled. "Sure. Let me get back into my suit."  
  
"I don't know," he stood up. "I kinda like you without a suit."  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes and stood up. "Your shorts are in the second drawer."  
  
"What are you going to wear?" He knew her suit was still wet as well.  
  
"Never mind me; you just make sure you're ready when I'm done."  
  
Hawkeye got up and started looking through the drawer, "It won't take me long to change my shorts."  
  
"Good. I'll be in the bathroom changing," she picked out a clean suit and made off for the bathroom.  
  
"Bathroom?" He questioned in surprise. "Why do you need to go in there to change? Why can't you change out here with me?"  
  
Margaret smiled and avoided the question, "I won't be long." She walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Hawkeye sat on the bed, there was no reason for her to feel embarrassed in front of him. Unless she was worried about how he'd react to seeing her naked.  
  
A few minutes later she emerged clad in a one piece with towels in her arms. "I'm ready, how about you?" She looked him up and down, he was wearing the trunks.  
  
"Why are you wearing a one piece?" He asked her as he followed her into the living room.  
  
"It's the only one I had left, remember?"  
  
Hawkeye remembered, she had bought one of each. "Right." He picked up the pool bag again and followed her out the door. Hopefully the rest of the day could be salvaged. 

They spent two hours at the pool lying in the sun and playing in the water. It was nice to be together without everything always being about sex. Even Hawkeye had to admit that he liked it. When they were tired out from the sun they went back up to the room to take their showers and get ready for dinner. Being alone was what they had wanted for days and now that they had it, they were going to take advantage of it. 

Hawkeye's life was somewhat like a permanent vacation at the moment, but Margaret's wasn't. She didn't always have the luxury of sleeping in late in the morning, taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon, being able to go out to eat whenever she felt like it. It was nice to be able to do whatever she wanted and to have Hawkeye by her side made everything all that much more fun. With all the family events over they had some time to themselves again before they had to head back home and Margaret had to get back to work.


	9. Chapter 9

Ok, here's another chapter.  Its been a while.  

Please review.  

CHAPTER 9

Hawkeye had all of the bags in his hands. Margaret just had a small carry on bag, but that was enough. She opened the door to their tiny apartment and let Hawkeye go in front of her with the luggage. That turned out to be a mistake because he left them by the door and walked away. Margaret didn't expect them to be there and slammed her shin into a large suitcase. She gritted her teeth and clenched his fists to keep from yelling at Hawkeye. Sometimes she had to tell herself that he didn't mean to do those things.   
  
"You okay?" Hawkeye asked.  
  
"Fine," she mumbled sternly.  
  
"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't think you'd walk into them."  
  
"Well I didn't think you'd just drop them there."  
  
Hawkeye took her hand and got her away from the luggage. He lead her to the couch and sat her down. "Do you want me to move them?"  
  
"Not right now." She pulled him down to sit next to her and put her bruised leg on his lap. He pushed up her pant leg and took a look. "Ouch...you're going to have a bruise there."  
  
"Get me some ice please." She hated having bruises on her legs in the summer. It didn't look good when she wore shorts and made her self conscious.  
  
Hawkeye came back with a little bag of ice and after sitting back down placed the ice on her shin. "I'm sorry."  
  
"I know," she sighed. She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. It felt so good to be home after that long trip. The last few days had been nice, but she had been so tense from the first few days of the trip that she never completely relaxed. She always had a feeling that someone was watching her. Now that she was back home she could let that go. It was back to just her and Hawkeye.   
  
Margaret had a headache. When she was like that all Hawkeye had to do was say the wrong thing and it was like World War III started. He was going to try his best not to do that. His hand moved away from her shin and down to her foot where he started to massage it gently. As long as she could stay calm then he would be in the clear for the rest of the day. "Feel good?" She nodded. "Should we unpack?" She nodded yes again. "Why don't you lie here for a few minutes and I'll go start."  
  
He moved her foot off his lap and moved to his feet. When he was sure she was settled he walked silently back to the door and started to collect the suitcases once again. Margaret heard him swear softly as he struggled to move through the narrow space and caught his hip in the corner of the table. Within a few moments he had managed through and disappeared into the bedroom. Margaret fell asleep a few minutes later.  
  
Back in the bedroom, Hawkeye was doing his best to be quiet. He wanted to have everything unpacked so Margaret wouldn't have to worry about it. The happier he kept her, the calmer she'd be. He pulled out all the dirty laundry and piled it on the floor. The clothes they hadn't worn he put away, along with their personal items in the bathroom. When that was done, he started to sort clothes. Perhaps if he started the laundry a little earlier, without being asked to do so, she'd start to settle down and they could have a quiet evening.  
  
It was a little over an hour later when Margaret opened her eyes. She looked around relieved that she woke up in her own home. She could smell and hear something cooking in the small kitchen. At the moment she just didn't feel like getting off of the couch. Napping served to calm her nerves down, but always seemed to make her sleepy. Hawkeye must have covered her up because she didn't remember doing it herself. It wasn't until she heard Hawkeye's voice in the kitchen that she got up. She didn't want him to ruin the kitchen trying to cook a meal.  
  
Hawkeye spotted her and smiled. "Hi. Did you have a nice nap?" She nodded sleepily. "Are you hungry?"  
  
"A little."   
  
She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him laying her head on his chest. The best thing about her taking naps was that she was very touchy afterwards. Hawkeye held her close. "What's this about?"  
  
"Nothing," she smiled. "Can't I just hold on to you?"  
  
"Any time." He rubbed her back. "Everything is put away and I started some laundry."  
  
"You did?"  
  
"Yes. Tonight our plans are to just lie around and do nothing. How does that sound to you?"  
  
"Wonderful." She let go off him and moved to the stove to taste the sauce. "I have to work tomorrow morning."  
  
"I wish you didn't have to."  
  
"So do I. Mmmm, this is good."  
  
"Well you're in luck. Its almost done."  
  
Margaret tasted it once more and then put the lid back on. "I'm going to go change, I'll be right back." She kissed him quickly and then made for the bedroom.  
  
"Okay."  
  
Margaret put on her cotton pajamas and then walked back out to the living room. Hawkeye had set two plates of pasta on the coffee table. "I thought we'd eat out here tonight." He walked up behind her with a glass of water for them each.  
  
"That's fine." Margaret walked over the couch and sat down. Hawkeye followed her lead and sat down beside her and handed her a glass of water.   
  
"This looks good," she commented as she picked up her plate and sat back. Hawkeye turned on the television and followed suit.  
  
"I'm glad; I'd like to eat tonight."  
  
Margaret dismissed his comment and took a bite, "Mmm...and it tastes just as wonderful."  
  
"You said mine was the best," he grinned.  
  
"And I meant it," she gave him a genuine smile.   
  
"Its nice to be home, isn't it?"  
  
"You have no idea." She took another bite of food.  
  
He smiled. "I think I do."  
  
She smiled. "What's on TV?"  
  
"News I guess." He didn't want to get up and change the channel again.   
  
The two of them sat there watching TV and eating some dinner. It was nice to be together again without worrying about the phone ringing or a knock on the door. No one would bother them now that they were at home. They didn't have to worry about anything at the moment and they both loved that. It seemed like forever since Margaret was able to fully relax, and when she wouldn't relax, neither would Hawkeye. She kept him on his toes.  
  
Margaret was not looking forward to going back to work in the morning. It wasn't that she didn't like working, because she loved nursing. It was the army that she was sick of. She was ready to get out. She wanted to get married and move away with her husband. He wasn't working at the moment because he was waiting for her to get out of the army so they could go back to Maine. Everything was in limbo right now and it was all because of the army. Margaret just wanted to get out now.  
  
Hawkeye felt bad for looking forward to her going back to work tomorrow. He could sleep in and really relax again. Sometimes he thought he was getting too comfortable with his new role as the 'house wife', but at other times he hated it. Being able to take care of Margaret was nice, but there were times he wanted it to be the other way around. It wasn't that he expected her to stop working all together once he went back to work, but maybe on occasion she could take care of him like he was taking care of her at the moment.  
  
They both cleaned up the kitchen that night and then watched some TV together. Margaret had fallen asleep on the couch and instead of waking her up he carried her to their bedroom. She didn't open her eyes, but she spoke once she realized she was in bed. "Can you set the alarm?"  
  
"Sure." He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Goodnight."  
  
"Night," she said sleepily.  
  
The next morning Hawkeye woke up alone for the first time in over a week. He felt a pang of loneliness when he realized she wasn't there beside him, but then again, it was almost eleven o'clock. Margaret had been gone for nearly four and a half hours. He sat up and hung his feet over the side of the bed, it was nice being in their bedroom again.   
  
The phone rang and Hawkeye smiled sleepily. Finally he could answer the damn phone without being cautious of who was on the other end. "Hello?" He asked his voice was still clouded with sleep.  
  
"Hi honey," it was Margaret. "Did I wake you?" She couldn't believe he had slept that late.  
  
"No," Hawkeye shook his head. "I've been awake," he looked at the clock. "For a good three minutes."  
  
He heard her laugh softly on the other end. "Good to know."  
  
"So, what's up?" She usually didn't call so early unless something was on her mind.  
  
"Nothing," he heard her sigh.  
  
"Nothing?"  
  
"I just missed you. I wanted to hear your voice."  
  
Hawkeye smiled again, "Well I miss you too." He laid back in bed again. A grinned spread wider across his face. "What brought this on?"  
  
"Is there something wrong with missing my fiancé?"  
  
"No, not at all, it's just unusual. You hardly ever call me."  
  
"I call you."  
  
He grinned. "Yeah, you call me jack ass, bastard, son of a bitch, and much much more, but you hardly ever call me on the phone. What's wrong?"  
  
She chuckled slightly. "Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to hear your voice. That's all."  
  
"It's so cute how you miss me."  
  
"Yeah, yeah."  
  
"No, really. If it makes you feel any better, I'm lonely without you."  
  
"What are you going to do today?" She didn't want to let him off the line yet. Small talk was better than none at all.  
  
"Nothing much. Just relish being home."  
  
She sighed. "Trade places with me, would you?"  
  
He laughed. "One day. Right now we need you to work so we can at least eat."  
  
"I know. Would you do me a favor?"  
  
"Anything."  
  
"After you finish the laundry, could you go grocery shopping? I could do it on my way home, but I'd rather just be at home with you."  
  
"I can do it," he smiled. How could he resist that? "What are you doing for lunch?"  
  
She sighed. "Ah, I have to meet with some of my nurses."  
  
"Do you have to?"   
  
"I'm afraid so." Hawkeye could hear the disappointment in her voice; she wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her.   
  
"That's too bad."  
  
"Yeah," she sighed again.  
  
"So, any plans for dinner?" He decided to move the conversation.  
  
"Something simple." Hawkeye heard her yawn.  
  
"Quiet?" He guessed.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do you have any ideas what to eat?"  
  
"Not really, you're pretty good about picking out something on your own, I trust you."  
  
"Well gee, thanks," he pretended to be hurt.  
  
Margaret giggled, "I didn't mean it like that."  
  
"Sure," he mock exaggerated. "I can't do anything right."  
  
"You know that's not true," she told him.  
  
"Sure it is. Everything I do in the kitchen and the bedroom is always wrong."

She smiled on the other line and looked around to make sure she was still alone. "I wouldn't go that far. Everything you do in the kitchen is perfect."

"Well, thanks." He rolled his eyes.

She laughed. "I'm kidding. You know I don't have any complaints."

"Neither do I, except one."

"Oh?" She was very interested in that.

"You work too much."

She sighed and smiled. "We've only been home one day."

"Yes but in the past week we've been together day and night. I'm lonely all by myself."

"You just woke up. How can you be lonely?"

"You try waking up alone knowing that no one is home and won't be for hours."

"I'm sorry. Maybe we can do lunch tomorrow. How's that?"

He smiled. "Sounds good."

"Okay. I have to let you go now."

"Okay. Bye. I love you."

"Bye." She was going to hang up the phone but he hollered 'wait'. "What?"

"You didn't say you love me."

She laughed a little and then looked around. She didn't want anyone to see that the tough Major Houlihan was indeed a person in love and wasn't quite as hard as they all thought her to be. "I love you."

Hawkeye smiled and hung up the phone. Now what was he going to do? The laundry and cleaning up the house really wasn't his favorite thing to do. Maybe he would pass the time with a nice hot shower. He decided that sounded good and got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. His showers tended to kill a lot of time because after being in Korea, he never took hot water for granted.

**********

Margaret clamored and stumbled up the stairs, she was trying her hardest not to drop the box that she was so desperately trying to hang onto. As if eleven hours of work wasn't enough, she was now looking forward to another four filled with paperwork. Finally after struggling with the many items in her arms, she reached their floor. Margaret fumbled for a moment to find her keys in her purse and when she did, it took more of an effort to unlock the door. It was then that she realized how much harder it was going to be to maneuver through their cluttered apartment. There were boxes and piles of junk lying everywhere, there was barely a path for her to walk through, let alone with a mountain of papers in her arms.  
  
"Damn it!" Margaret had walked directly into a stack of boxes where she nearly lost her balance. As she struggled to retain her composure, she had backed herself into the edge of the nearest table. With a fierce kick she toppled the stack and pushed her way over to the dinner table. Margaret set the box along with her briefcase down and then stood back to catch her breath.  
  
"Are you okay?" She suddenly became aware that someone was standing behind her.   
  
Margaret turned around to find Hawkeye starring at her. Still feeling a little breathless she said to him, "I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes," she told him with a little more stability.   
  
Hawkeye leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Just wanted to make sure."  
  
"Thank you," she smiled. She looked at him and wondered where he had been when she was trying to make her way across the room. "Where were you?"  
  
"I was here. I was reading a book."  
  
"Why didn't you help me?"  
  
"I thought you had it all under control and you did."  
  
She sighed. "What's for dinner?"  
  
"Oh, I didn't make anything." He moved over to give her another kiss, but she backed away. "I thought we could go out tonight."  
  
"You didn't make dinner?!"  
  
"No." Wasn't that what he just told her?  
  
"I can't go out tonight," she said with a bit of agitation in her voice.   
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I have work to do."  
  
"Come on," he tried to persuade her. "We won't go anywhere fancy, just down the block to grab a quick bite to eat."  
  
"I told you, I can't," she told him with a bit more sternness in her voice. Margaret moved out of his arms and took off her jacket.   
  
"Why can't you take a break?" Hawkeye was fed up of acting like a house wife. He didn't want to cook another dinner.  
  
"I haven't even started," she exclaimed. "There's at least four hours of work here." Margaret started leafing through the pile. "I was expecting you to have dinner ready so I could get right to work afterwards."  
  
"I'm sorry," he told her. All though, he didn't sound very apologetic.  
  
Margaret looked up at him and put a hand on her hip, "So now what are we going to do?"  
  
"I'll run out and pick up something." To him it was no big deal.  
  
Margaret sighed, "It's too late now." She picked up a file and started looking through it. "I'll have popcorn or cereal or something."  
  
"No, I'll get Chinese or something. It won't take me long."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "I'll find something."  
  
"No, I'll go get something for us." He picked up his car keys that were lying on the table. "What do you want?"  
  
She looked at the stack of papers not paying much attention to him. "Whatever you want."  
  
He smiled. "Of course. You'll eat mine anyway." Normally she would have smiled at him or even gave him a kiss, but she didn't even acknowledge him. "I'll be back soon."  
  
"Okay."   
  
Hawkeye turned and left the apartment without saying another word. Margaret looked around the place. It was in shambles and she couldn't stand it, but she also couldn't do anything about it. Instead of trying she got up and went to the bedroom to change into something more comfortable. She changed into a pair of pajamas, washed her face cleaning off all of the makeup, and took her hair down. Now she could get to work. The only break she would take would be for dinner.   
  
Hawkeye came back in twenty minutes after she sat down to do some work. It had taken longer than he planned to get the food. "Back," he said as he came in. She didn't even look up at him. "You still hungry?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You ready to eat?" He sat the food on the table.  
  
"Oh...ah...yeah." She gathered her stack of papers and placed them to the side. "What do you want to drink?"  
  
"I'll get the drinks." He said. "What do you want?"  
  
"Water."   
  
Hawkeye came back with their drinks and she had set the food out for the two of them. "Here baby."  
  
"Thank you. Hey," she said after a moment. "I'm sorry I was so testy about dinner earlier."  
  
He smiled. "It's okay. I remember long ago when I used to work. It could be stressful."  
  
Margaret smiled a little bit and looked at her food as she ate. The last time he had worked they had been in Korea. Truthfully that was probably the most stressful position to be in, but real world health care was something of the past to him now. "Yeah."  
  
"Today was that bad, huh?" Hawkeye pretended that he hadn't seen her diversion.  
  
Margaret rubbed her face, "It was long, let's just say that."  
  
"Pressure from above?" He asked.  
  
Margaret nodded, "Yeah, you could say that."  
  
Hawkeye pushed his food around with his fork, "Anything I can do to help?"  
  
"No," was her quick reply.  
  
"Late night?"  
  
"Yes," she answered just as quickly.  
  
"I don't mind staying up," he told her. "After all, I have no reason not to."  
  
"That's okay, you don't have to."  
  
"No, I don't mind at all," he reassured her.  
  
Margaret didn't want to hurt his feelings, but the truth be told, she would have preferred it if he went to bed. The last thing she needed was his presence and puppy like demeanor to drag the night on. She'd rather just get it over with and be done with it. "No, honey. You really don't have to." She thought if she used endearments it wouldn't hurt his feelings as much.  
  
"I would really like to." All he did was wait for her to get home from work. After all, she was the only reason he was there.   
  
"I'll be fine. You can't help me with it anyway."  
  
He could take a hint. "Fine," he mumbled. He placed some food in his mouth. What was he supposed to do if she wasn't going to spend time with him? He didn't work, he was alone all day, and now she didn't want anything to do with him. "I guess I'll just watch some TV."  
  
"Please don't. It's too much of a distraction and as it stands right now I'll be up past eleven and I have to get up early."  
  
"Okay. I guess I'll find something else."  
  
She didn't mean to make him feel unwanted or like he was in the way. She loved him and wanted him to be there. "Didn't you say you were reading a book?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Maybe that's what you could do."  
  
"Maybe," he said.  
  
Margaret took a few more bites and then pushed her food aside. She wasn't feeling all that hungry, especially since it was take out. Hawkeye took the hint and stood up, clearing the table and making room so she could spread out her work. "Anything I can get you?" He asked her from the kitchen.  
  
"No." She started digging through her stacks of files.  
  
"Is there anything I can do?" He walked up behind her and looked over her shoulder.  
  
"Yeah," Margaret pushed him to the side. "You're standing in my light. Can you move to the side?"  
  
Being sort of taken back, he had no choice but to get side swept. "Sure," he muttered lowly. It didn't matter, she wasn't listening anyway.

Margaret buried herself in her work and didn't give a second thought to her fiancé. All she was worried about was getting that work done by the morning. If she had it her way she would have come home and been with him all night, but that wasn't the case. She just hoped he would be a little understanding about. 

A few minutes had gone by and she hadn't heard anything from him. She looked around and saw him walk to the door. "Where are you going?"

"For a walk." He said. He didn't bother to try to give her a kiss this time for fear of getting her in sacred light again. "I'll be back later."

"How late?"

"I don't know. I'm just going for a walk."

"Ok. Bye."

"Yep," he mumbled on his way out the door. 

She shrugged off his coolness and went back to work not realizing that it was her own cool demeanor that had caused him to become like that. Once again she buried herself in her work not giving a second thought to another thing. As long as she didn't think about the problem, then it didn't exist.

Hawkeye knew that Margaret loved him; he had never thought for a moment that she didn't. It was just times like those that really tried their relationship. All he wanted to do was be there for her and support her, and all she did was continuously belittle him and cast him aside. He understood she was under tremendous pressure, but time after time she promised never to do it again and yet time after time she did it anyway. Margaret had given him her word when he threatened to leave, and now it looked like that was no longer any good either.   
  
Hawkeye wasn't walking anywhere specific; he just wanted to get away. Had he stayed any longer, he didn't know what he would have done. All he knew was that he couldn't be around her at the moment, not when everything was untouchable and he was an elephant in a China shop.   
  
He walked around in what seemed like circles, not really caring where he ended up. Eventually after walking around for a few hours he found himself standing in front of one of the local bars. It took almost every ounce of staying power not go inside and drown his problems in a couple drinks. He knew alcohol wasn't the answer, what he needed was her, and nothing could replace that.   
  
Feeling even more frustrated, he finally managed to move on and continue walking. He was turning into a house wife and not a productive one either. All he did was sit there all day, waiting for a woman to come home who rarely had the time to acknowledge him. He couldn't drink, he found himself bored more times then not, he was sexually frustrated and intimidated, and now he couldn't even stand in their apartment without doing something wrong.

After walking for a while he looked at his watch and realized how late it had gotten. He didn't think he had someone at home worried and waiting up for him. If she was still up she was still working. He wasn't very tired because he had slept until eleven that morning, so the reason he decided it was time to head home was because of boredom.   
  
It was hard to believe that they had only been home one day. She had been so touchy the day they arrived and that was what he loved. Even her phone call earlier that had told him how much she missed being with him and wanted him. It was that damn army! She had come home from work and that's when she changed. That's when she always changed. She was always too tired or too stressed or too busy. All he could think was thank god she's getting out soon. It would take a tremendous weight off of their relationship.  
  
It was well after eleven that night when he reached the door to their small apartment. Still feeling inferior and unneeded he unlocked the door and let himself in. Margaret looked up at him and said 'hi' and then was right back to her work. Did she even care what time it was?  
  
"Hi," he said. He walked right passed her and into the kitchen. He grabbed a container of food from dinner and brought it back into the living room. "You almost done?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
He turned on the TV and plopped himself down on the couch. "You don't mind, do you?"  
  
Didn't she ask him earlier not to turn on the TV? She was almost finished anyway. "No." Margaret sat there watching TV from the table and half concentrating on her work. That was exactly the reason why she didn't want him to watch TV. She needed a place where it was quiet so she could concentrate. With Hawkeye watching TV only feet away from her, it was a little difficult, but she got the job done. She boxed up her files once again, cleaned off her mess, and went for a drink of water in the kitchen.  
  
Hawkeye was still sitting up watching TV and she had thought about sitting down with him. They really hadn't done a thing all day. Dinner was quiet and her mind was elsewhere, but was that really an excuse? She was a little too tired to do anything except sleep. Walking up behind Hawkeye she bent down and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to bed."  
  
"Goodnight."  
  
"You're not coming?"  
  
"I got up at eleven. I'm not even tired yet."  
  
"Oh, well, goodnight." She didn't like the thought of being in that big bed all alone. His arms warm around her was what had kept her going all day. That was why she worked so hard. She wanted to get things done. If all she was going to do was sleep she supposed it was a little selfish to think he would be there when she was ready to go to bed.   
  
Margaret flossed and brushed her teeth before she got into bed. She had hoped he would have changed his mind and followed her, but when she turned out the light she was still alone. Margaret tried to get comfortable, but she always found it difficult to fall asleep when he wasn't there. Eventually, after spending nearly half an hour tossing and turning, she finally drifted off.  
  
Sometime during the night Margaret thought she felt someone move into bed beside her, but she couldn't be sure. At six o'clock when her alarm went off Margaret found herself pressed up against him in a surprising fashion. His arms were wrapped tightly around her and she was resting comfortably against his chest. They were lying as they sometimes did when they were both feeling clingy. Margaret's face was resting in the crook of his neck and her knee was positioned between his legs. It was probably the closest they had slept in a long time.  
  
Margaret disentangled herself from him unwillingly and turned off the alarm. She sat up and took a few minutes to try and wake up. Behind her Hawkeye rolled onto his stomach and spread out so he was taking up the whole bed. With a small groan he finally rendered himself comfortable and settled down again. Margaret glanced at her sleeping fiancé and wished she could have joined him, but like always, the Army took that away from her also.   
  
Hawkeye woke up around eleven and looked around. Last he remembered he had Margaret in his arms. Now she was gone and he was alone again. He didn't like being alone at all. It wasn't that he didn't want her to work at all, he was just...sometimes he wasn't sure what the problem really was. He had agreed not to work and live with her so they could be together while she was still in the army. He didn't fully regret that decision, but there were parts of it that he did. He was bored all the time. He didn't like the role of housewife anymore. At first it had been fun, but that wore off long ago. Being on vacation was nice because they didn't have to play any roles, but now they were back to real life and were thrown back into roles and titles.   
  
He rolled out of bed remembering that they had a lunch date together. That was something to look forward to at least. It was better than yesterday when he didn't have anything to do. He got up and took a nice shower and got dressed. Normally he didn't wear nice clothing unless Margaret made him, but he felt like wearing something nice today. Nothing too fancy, just a nice pair of pants and a collared shirt would do. He felt so giddy like a kid going on a date.  
  
Hawkeye didn't go to the hospital very often, Margaret was usually too busy to have lunch with him. In fact, she rarely found time to have lunch period. Neither of them could wait until she got out of the Army. Hawkeye was dying to go back to work and Margaret was itching to get out of an administration job and back into a real nursing position. It wasn't going to be too long now, Hawkeye could almost smell the salt in the air already.   
  
He hummed softly to himself as he drove. They might not have gone to bed on the best terms, but the morning was turning out to be pretty good. When the alarm had gone off that morning Margaret had been in his arms. In fact, she had been clinging to him just as much as he was. Now they were going to have lunch together and that made Hawkeye was very excited. He hoped she'd be ready to go as soon as he got there. Hawkeye wanted them to have as much time as possible. Since he nothing else to do, this was going to be the highlight of his day.   
  
Hawkeye walked to the nurses' station on the fifth floor and tried to located his fiancé. "Excuse me," he asked the nurse at the desk. "Could you possibly tell me where Major Houlihan might be?"  
  
"She's busy at the moment," was the nurse's quick reply.  
  
"Could you tell me where I can find her?"  
  
"I told you, she's in a conference in her office," the nurse told him a little more sternly.  
  
"Thanks," Hawkeye smiled. He was in too good of a mood to take offense to her sour mood. "I'll just wait until she's done."  
  
"You're going to be waiting a long time, sir."  
  
"Its noon. She should be on lunch soon, shouldn't she?"  
  
"Normally, but she's in a meeting today. She won't be out for a while."  
  
Hawkeye was beginning to think he was stood up. "How long is a while?"  
  
"An hour at least."  
  
"An hour? You have to be kidding me."  
  
"No, I'm not. Now if you'll excuse me I have some things I have to get done before the major rips my head off."  
  
"Fine." He mumbled. What was he supposed to do now? Maybe it was a mistake. She wouldn't do that without calling him first. He decided to wait a few minutes and see if anyone else knew anything.  
  
Hawkeye stood around for a few minutes in hopes that she would still materialize. He had hoped that the nurse had been misinformed and she that she was wrong, but deep down inside he knew that Margaret was never going to turn up. It looked liked he was just going to have to face the facts, he had been stood up. "Doctor Pierce?" Hawkeye was suddenly aware that someone was speaking to him. Hawkeye turned around to find a woman standing behind him.  
  
"Captain Guetary," he greeted her with a smile. "How are you doing?" Captian Guetary was one of Margaret's nurses and always seemed to be within the vicinity of wherever the Major was. He had seen her numerous times when he made trips to see Margaret at work.   
  
"I can't complain," she beamed up at him. "I'm used to sleep deprivation and fourteen hour work days; it's nothing I can't handle." Hawkeye was surprised at how calm and collected she seemed despite of her rigorous work schedule. He wished Margaret had that quality. "I hear you had a nice time on your vacation."  
  
Hawkeye wouldn't have actually said they had a 'nice' time, but he had to admit things got better once they lost her family. "Yes, we did."  
  
The Captain nodded and smiled.  "The Major didn't mention that you were coming by today, did you stop by for anything specific?" She asked.  
  
Hawkeye couldn't believe that Margaret hadn't said anything to her. "Well...uh..." He scratched his head. "Actually, I came by to take her to lunch."  
  
"Lunch? Oh I'm sorry, she's going to be in conference all day."  
  
"All day?" He asked.   
  
"I'm afraid so, with the inspection coming up she's been calling meetings unexpectedly. The one she's in now was even unplanned."   
  
"Oh. I guess I'll head home then. Could you do me a favor and not tell her that I was here?"  
  
She looked at him oddly wondering why, but she wasn't going to question him. "I can do that."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
He looked at his watch and saw that he had been there for a half an hour. He wasn't going to waste anymore time and just left. He didn't like being stood up and wasn't used to it especially not from her. She wasn't supposed to do that to him. If he ever did that to her she'd be pissed.   
  
Driving home he passed a bar and almost stopped in to have drink, but thought better of it. As he drove he started to think he should have stopped. What else did he have to do? The next bar he saw he pulled in and parked the car. Going home to a messy lonely apartment was not his idea of fun and even though drinking at a strange bar wasn't exactly fun it was all he had at the moment. He didn't really know anyone in town. He didn't have a way of really meeting people and he and Margaret had kept pretty much to themselves. For a while all they needed was each other, and she worked so much that she didn't have time for anything but him, and that was sometimes questionable. So, why not drink?  
  
Deciding that he didn't have anything to lose, Hawkeye walked into the bar and took a seat on the nearest stool. "What can get ya?" The bartender asked as he approached.  
  
"Vodka," Hawkeye told him. "And make it a double."  
  
The bartender nodded and turned to pour his drink. Hawkeye closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands. He was starting to think that it might have been better if he just went back to Maine and waited for her there. She only had a few weeks left, it's not like they would have been apart for very long. Maybe that's what she needed, what she really wanted; time alone to do the things she needed to do. Maybe he was too much of a distraction and this was her why of telling him.  
  
No, he was thinking foolishness. He was just upset, that's all. The bartender came back and set his drink on the bar. Hawkeye didn't hesitate to drink it down, he wanted to feel numb, he didn't want think about it anymore. He could see the love of his life slipping away. Not forever, but even to think about losing her or being away from her for just a few days was too much.   
  
He ordered another drink and downed that rather quickly. Not thinking about anything except trying to lose his emotions he ordered another one. The bartender had tried to talk to him, but Hawkeye wasn't interested. He really wasn't sure what was going on either. Was it really all her? Was it the way he was feeling about not being at work? All he knew for sure was that they needed to get the army out of the picture and that would fix a lot of their problems. Not all of them, but at least they would be free to move on.  
  
After the third drink he got up and left. The apartment was just around the corner and he was feeling pretty good by that time. He wasn't drunk, but he wasn't completely sober anymore either. When he got home he turned the TV on and laid on the couch. Before he knew it he was fast asleep. Again he didn't have anything else to do, so why not? It was so boring without Margaret around. Maybe tonight would be different.  
  
When Margaret walked through the door that night she was happier then she had been for the past few nights running. Due to her persistence she had finally earned a night to herself. There was no more work to be done, and what there was, could wait until the next day. Tonight she just wanted to relax and unwind, and that's exactly what she was going to do.   
  
"Hello," she called out when she opened the door and walked into the door way. Margaret set her purse down on the side table and removed her jacket.   
  
"Hi," came his trepid response from across the room.   
  
Margaret walked over to the couch and took a seat on the arm. "What are you doing?" She asked as put an arm around his shoulders.   
  
Hawkeye didn't look up at her when she touched him. "Nothing."  
  
Margaret looked him over, he was sitting there in his favorite jeans. Normally she would have said something, but she was in too good of a mood to argue. "Hot?" She asked as she ran a finger across his bare shoulder, he wasn't wearing a shirt.  
  
"A little," he muttered and then took a sip of the beer he was holding in his hand.  
  
Margaret kissed his cheek, she could tell he hadn't shaved. "I'm going to go change, I'll be right back," and with that she stood up and walked to the bedroom to find something more comfortable.  
  
She kicked her shoes off in the corner of the bedroom and unzipped her skirt letting it fall to the floor. On top of not wanting to be working where she was, she had to wear an ugly uncomfortable uniform. She quickly got out of the old thing and grabbed something comfortable to wear. Hawkeye must have finished and put away the laundry already. He could have done it the day before and she wouldn't have even known.   
  
She went back into the living room and took a seat next to him leaning against him. He didn't put his arm around her which she found odd. When she left that morning the two of them were a tangled mess. What had changed? She hadn't been there to make him upset, so what could it be. "What are you watching?"  
  
"A game," came his reply.  
  
"Oh. Who's winning?"  
  
He looked over at her. "You hate sports."  
  
It was true. "Yeah, but I..."  
  
"Margaret, I know you don't care. Stop pretending."  
  
All she wanted to do was be with him, but he was right. "Okay." She didn't want to start a fight. "Did you eat?"  
  
"What does it look like?" He pointed to the chips with the neck of his beer bottle.   
  
"What about dinner?"   
  
"I didn't make anything."  
  
"I can make it if you're hungry."  
  
"Don't you have work to do?"  
  
"Not tonight. Do you want something?" She was becoming increasingly worried about his mood. He seemed to be so angry at her for some reason. Maybe something happened today. She wouldn't have known about it anyway because she had been at work all day. Even if he had called her the odds were that she wouldn't have gotten the message.  
  
Hawkeye shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care," he said passively as he went back to watching the game.  
  
"Well, we can wait," Margaret told him. "I'm not too terribly hungry yet." Truth be told, she was starving, but she didn't want to leave him just yet.   
  
"Fine." Margaret sat beside him in silence for a while. She thought it was odd that he was being so quiet. Normally when she came home he was all over her, but tonight it was like he didn't even know she was there.   
  
At half time Margaret looked over at him and watched as he drank the last of his beer. "I'm going to get a beer for myself, do you want another one?" She asked as she stood up.  
  
Hawkeye actually looked up at her then, "Sure."  
  
Margaret went into the kitchen and pulled out two beers. She popped off the lids and then carried them back into the living room. "Here you go," she said as she handed him one.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Margaret took her seat beside him again and took a sip of her own. "Do you mind?" She gestured to the chip bag. Hawkeye handed it to her and then went back to watching the cheerleaders on the screen.  
  
He glanced over at her quickly so she wouldn't see him look at her. He really wanted to be mad at her, but he wasn't so sure he could keep it up much longer. Being mad at Margaret was something that he was never good at. During that quick glance he caught sipping his beer, but then looked back at the TV. "So, how was your day."  
  
"Oh, it was terrible. Just like normal."  
  
He nodded. "Ah."  
  
"Yeah." She noticed how he kept watching the young cheerleaders on the screen. "Do you like watching them?"   
  
"What?"  
  
"Them," she pointed to the screen.   
  
He rolled his eyes. Why did she always have to be so insecure? "It's just TV. What else am I going to do?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe talk to me."  
  
He glared at her with narrowed eyes. "Like last night?"  
  
She sat strait up and didn't lean on him. "I had work to do."  
  
"So you just pretended I wasn't here?"  
  
"You weren't, remember?"  
  
"Gee, I can't imagine why I wouldn't have wanted to be here with you."  
  
She knew she had been a little edgy yesterday. She had had a hard day at work and even had to bring work home. What did he expect from her? "I don't want to fight with you. I work hard. I worked and fixed things so we could have the night together. Do you want that or do you want to watch TV all damn night?"  
  
Hawkeye was silent for a moment. He didn't want to talk to her if she was only going to ridicule him. Every time they tried to talk she always put all the blame on him. Finally collecting his thoughts he said, "Yes, you know I want that."  
  
Margaret didn't think he would take so long to answer, but she guessed it really didn't matter as long as he didn't pick the television over her. "You know you're all I really care about; it's just that work it running me ragged."  
  
Hawkeye nodded and looked at the bottle in his hand. "I know."  
  
"I didn't mean to cast you aside last night, it was just really important that I got that work done." She picked up his hand and held it in hers.   
  
"I know," he said again. Hawkeye pulled his hand away and stood up. He was still sore about her standing him up. She could have at least called him and told him she'd scheduled a meeting at that time.  
  
Margaret watched as he picked up the chip bag and empty beer bottles. "So what did you do today?" She wanted him to talk to her. Hawkeye shrugged his shoulders and walked back to the kitchen. Margaret stood up and followed him. "Didn't you do anything?"  
  
He was bent over in the refrigerator. "You said you're cooking? What do you want to make?"  
  
She sighed. "I'll find something."  
  
"Okay."   
  
She walked over to him and closed the door. "Why don't we just talk for now?"  
  
"Aren't you hungry?"  
  
"Yes...but." She gave up. "Why don't you stay with me in the kitchen while I fix something for dinner?"  
  
"Okay. Why don't we have cheeseburgers or something? We have the meat in there."  
  
"Fine." She opened up the refrigerator and pulled it out. She started to move about the kitchen. Maybe that would take the subject off of dinner and she could actually talk to him. "Now," she said after a moment of silence. "What did you do today?"  
  
"Not a damn thing."  
  
"Must be nice." She said grabbed a pan from under the counter.  
  
"It used to be," he said honestly. "The fun has worn off."  
  
"I can tell."  
  
She didn't say anything while she was trying to light the stove and that gave his mind time to think and fester more on being stood up at lunch. When the stove was lit and the burgers were on it he looked at her. "What did you do for lunch today?"  
  
"I had a meeting. I haven't eaten all day."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Why do you ask?" She looked at him curiously. He shrugged his shoulders. "What did you do?"  
  
Hearing that she didn't even realize what she had done made him even angrier. "I didn't eat either," he told her truthfully. "I fell asleep." Margaret didn't need to know about his escapade to the bar.  
  
"You fell asleep?" She looked at him again. "Didn't you sleep enough this morning?"  
  
"I went to bed later then normal."  
  
Margaret remembered how she had gone to bed alone, she had forgotten to ask what time he had finally joined her. "What time did you end up coming to bed?"  
  
Hawkeye shrugged and took a seat on the counter top. "I don't know, around three I guess."  
  
"Oh." Margaret turned her attention back to the burgers. "Well, why then didn't you just sleep in?"  
  
Hawkeye sighed. "I had plans for lunch, but they fell through."  
  
"You what?" Margaret suddenly looked at him. Immediately she thought of another woman, after being cheated on so many times she was a little paranoid. "Who did you have plans with?"  
  
Hawkeye looked up at her and sighed. "You."


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10  
  
Margaret looked at him for a moment. She searched his face and tried to think of what he might have been rambling about. After a few seconds it suddenly occurred to her. "Oh Hawkeye," she exclaimed when she realized what he was speaking of. No wonder he was giving her the brush off.

"How could you forget?"  
  
She felt horrible now. "I'm sorry. I had meetings all day and I was so busy even I forgot to eat."  
  
"What does that have to do with forgetting about me?"  
  
She paused for a moment trying to think of something, but she couldn't come up with a reason. "Nothing."  
  
"You're right. You just forgot about me. It's as simple as that."  
  
"Hawkeye, I would never forget about you. It was a lunch date. You make it seem like I forgot our wedding."  
  
"I'm not so sure you wouldn't." He had had all day to sit and stew over being stood up by his fiancé.  
  
"That's not fair!" She stomped.   
  
He knew he was exaggerating some, okay maybe a lot. "Okay, but why did you do that? Why couldn't you call me and let me know? I went all the way down there and then I felt like an ass."  
  
"I'm sorry about that. I really am. I didn't do it to you purposely. You know you I wouldn't do that."  
  
"And yet you did." He was sitting with his arms folded.  
  
"What do you want me to do? I can't turn back time, and even if I could it wouldn't change the fact that I still wouldn't have been able to go." She turned back and flipped the burgers.   
  
Maybe he was making a bigger deal out of this than it really was. He was going to let her go this time. There wasn't any use in fighting with her He didn't have much time to spend with her as it was, he didn't want to waste the time he had fighting. "Okay. We'll forget about this."  
  
She turned around and looked at him. "I'm really sorry."  
  
He wanted to be mad, he really did, but he couldn't be. Frustrated, yes, but not mad. "I know." He stood up and wrapped his arms around her pulling her into a hug. "I miss you when you're gone. I'm alone all day long without a thing to do."  
  
"I know you are. I wish it was different." He didn't say anything. She wanted to lighten the moment since he wasn't. Usually that was his department, but he wasn't doing it. "I know what you can do tomorrow." She pulled back and looked up at him.   
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You can press some of my clothes." She grinned.  
  
His eyes narrowed. "Not funny."  
  
She laughed. "I'm sorry."  
  
He pulled away from her. "I don't like playing the house wife role. I don't like having dinner on the table every night, do all of the laundry, the cleaning, ironing your damn clothes. That should be what you're doing."  
  
She was taken aback a little at first. That didn't sound like the man she knew. That sounded like most other men, but not him. "That's a double standard. You think I should do that and not you?"  
  
"In our situation, yes."  
  
Margaret couldn't believe what he was saying; he had never felt that way before. "How can you say that? That's not like you."  
  
Hawkeye sighed, she was reading too much into it. "No, I didn't mean it like that."  
  
"Then how did you mean it?" She asked rather defensively.  
  
She was jumping to conclusions and he didn't like it. "What I meant was that I want to be the one to take care you. You said that you can't wait until you're out of the Army so we could switch roles, that's all I want."  
  
Margaret had said that, but he made it seem like it was her right as the woman. "I did, but you make it seem like acting like a house wife is going to be good enough for me too."  
  
Hawkeye sighed, "Margaret, you know I didn't mean it like that."  
  
She wasn't so sure if she did know or not. When he first moved in he had dinner on the table each night when she got home and everything was always done and clean so that when she got home she didn't need to do anything except be with him. Now she walked in and he was eating chips, drinking beer, and watching TV. "You better not have."  
  
He smiled. "I didn't."  
  
"Good, because just because I'm out of the army in a few weeks doesn't mean I won't go back to work somewhere else."  
  
"I know."  
  
"So we'll both be working."  
  
"That's right." He nodded. "So you can't expect to walk into the house every night and have everything be perfect. Things don't work that way." She had the thought in her head that by the time she went to bed each night everything had to be cleaned and put away. She couldn't just leave a few dishes in the sink or an out of place blanket on the couch before going to bed.  
  
"You're right." She began to think about how it was going to be when they were both working. He wouldn't be home to take care of certain things and neither would she. She was wondering if they could handle that. As it was, with only her working it was stressful. Maybe she shouldn't work. She didn't know anymore.  
  
Hawkeye noticed her far off look. "What's the matter?"  
  
She looked at him. "Nothing," she shook her head. She turned back to the food. "What do you want with these burgers?"  
  
"Nothing, I'm fine," he told her.  
  
Margaret wasn't expecting him to be very hungry; he had already stuffed his face with chips. "Fine." She took the burgers off and put them on a plate.  
  
Hawkeye got out the buns and two glasses and set them on the table. "What's the matter?" He asked her again.  
  
"I told you, nothing."  
  
"Are you mad at me?" He asked.  
  
"No, I'm not." She sat down at the table. Hawkeye took a seat beside her.  
  
"Then tell me what it is. You're acting like the walking dead."  
  
"I am not," she retorted.  
  
"Yes you are, talk to me." Hawkeye moved his seat closer to hers.  
  
"I was just thinking about how things will be when we get married."  
  
Hawkeye grew a little worried; maybe she was having second thoughts seeing how they were having problems now. "Are you changing your mind?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Getting married?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Just making sure. Then what's the matter?"  
  
"Well, are we going to be able to work? I mean both of us working full time and everything. What's going to happen when we have children?"  
  
"You're getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you? We're not even having kids for a little while. We need time to worry about us before we have any."  
  
"Okay" He was right about the kids. There was no sense in making a big deal out of it when they didn't have any yet. "What about working? Can we handle that? I mean if we're having problems with just the two of us, what are we going to do when we both work?"  
  
"Hold on a second. You're unhappy with you're job right now, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes. I hate it. I hate being in administration."  
  
"And I'm unhappy staying at home. Somehow we're both unhappy, but we're happy when we're together."  
  
She smiled. She was starting to see where he was going. "Yes."  
  
"Just imagine how happy we'll be when we're both happy with our jobs. Sure we'll have some bad days at work and things won't be perfect. But it'll all work out. You know how much I love you. There isn't another person in the world that I would give up medicine for, and I've done that for you. And I'd do it again."  
  
It was true. She never asked him to do that. He wanted to do it and it was his idea. "I'd do it for you, for us, if I had to."  
  
"I know you would," he smiled.   
  
Margaret looked at him, he was willing to do anything for her and she was repeatedly putting him at arms length. "I'm sorry," she told him lowly.  
  
Hawkeye smiled, "So I am I." He closed the distance between them and pulled her into a comforting embrace.   
  
Margaret sighed and let her chin rest on his shoulder. "I can't wait until we're rid of the Army."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled, she had no idea how much he wanted that as well. "Me too baby."  
  
"It's the Army that's causing all these problems," she stated with more vigor.  
  
Hawkeye stroked her hair as he held her. "I know."  
  
Margaret pulled back and looked at him. "I love you, you know that right?"  
  
"Do you even have to ask?" He asked her softly.  
  
Margaret smiled, she knew it was a stupid question. "Will you say it to me, just so I can hear it?"  
  
Hawkeye grinned and kissed her softly. "I love you."  
  
Margaret breathed a sigh of content, she loved hearing from him. "I love you too."  
  
Hawkeye hugged her one more time and then let her go. "Come on, the burgers are getting cold."  
  
She smiled. "Is that all you think about, food?"  
  
"No, I think about a few more things," his hand traveled down her back and rested on her behind.  
  
She moved away. "Food sounds good for now."  
  
He chuckled. "Maybe later then."  
  
"Maybe," she winked as she took her seat.   
  
He sat down and looked at her across the small table as she prepared her burger. Sometimes he could be so angry at her, but there was something about her that always made him feel bad for being mad. He guessed it was a good thing for their relationship. At least they wouldn't be able to stay angry at one another. "Can I have the ketchup please?"  
  
"Here," she passed it to him. She took a bite of her burger and sighed. "Mmm. I'm so hungry."  
  
"You should have made something else to go along with this."  
  
"You said you didn't want anything." She took another bite.  
  
"That didn't mean you couldn't have anything. I'll make you something."  
  
"No," she said, her mouth full of food. He waited for her to chew the rest. "I'm fine."  
  
He stood up and grabbed the bag of chips off the counter. "Here you go." He grinned.  
  
She chuckled. "You're too good to me."  
  
"I know." He sat back down. She was devouring her food and eyeing his too. He started to eat before she asked for his.   
  
"You know," Margaret said after a moment. "You know what would go really good with these burgers?"  
  
"No, what?"  
  
A devilish smile spread across her face. "Ice cream."  
  
"Ooooh," Hawkeye smiled. "I like the way you think."  
  
"I don't know what it is, I just have this tremendous sweet tooth for chocolate," she told. Margaret took another bite of her burger. "That and..." She looked up at him with a suggestive look.  
  
Hawkeye grinned hopefully and set his burger down, it had been a long time since they had last been together. "Yes..." He encouraged on.  
  
"I think we should..." She liked toying with him.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
Margaret could see the anticipation in his eyes. She hated to crush his spirits, but on the other hand it was so much fun. "Let's go bowling," she said eagerly.  
  
Hawkeye's face fell, "Bowling?" That's not what he wanted to spend his evening doing. "I thought you were tired, I thought you wanted to spend a quiet night a home."  
  
"Well, I wanted do something fun."  
  
"I have a better idea," he smiled suggestively.  
  
"I know what you're idea is, but I said I wanted to do something fun."  
  
He narrowed his eyes playfully. "My idea is very, very fun."  
  
"Yeah, but we've done it a million times before."  
  
She was toying with him and he wasn't so sure he liked being on the receiving end. "I'll stay home then."  
  
"And make me go alone?"  
  
"You're the one that wants to go."  
  
"Okay. What are you going to do? Stay home alone again?"  
  
"If I have to. I have big plans for tomorrow."  
  
"Oh?" He nodded. "Care to share those plans with your fiancé?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
She tried to give up and go back to eating, but she couldn't last more then two minutes. "You know, maybe we could compromise."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Well," she touched his hand. "We could go out for a walk and get some ice cream and then come home and have some fun."  
  
He grinned. "Compromising sounds fun. We should do it more often."  
  
She smiled. "Is that a yes?"  
  
"Yes, but under one condition."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You have to hold my hand on our walk."  
  
"Did you even have to ask?" She looked at their already touching hands.  
  
"I don't know, we haven't held hands in a while," he told her as he stood up to clear the table. "In fact, we haven't done much of anything in a while."  
  
Margaret frowned slightly, "I know, I haven't been in the mood to do much cuddling lately."  
  
Hawkeye shook his head, "It's hard to be in a good mood when you're tired. I can't ask anything from you when you need to sleep, you know I'd never do that to you." He picked up her plate and walked back to the kitchen. Margaret stood up and followed him, she had a feeling something else was bothering him.  
  
As soon as he set the plates down Margaret picked up his hand again and pulled him over to her. "And you know I'd never refuse you," she told him sincerely. "It's true that things are a little hectic right now, but I don't want to let that get in the way of you and me."  
  
"I know, I don't want that either."  
  
Margaret let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around him. She laid her head on his bare chest and closed her eyes. "You know that I wouldn't let anything come between us, including the Army."  
  
Hawkeye hugged her back, "I know."  
  
"And I know you think I've been acting cold..."  
  
"I don't think that."  
  
"Of course you do, you try to kiss me when I walk through the door and I nearly snap your head off." Hawkeye laughed slightly, that wasn't entirely a lie.  
  
"Well, we all have our off days."

He was being so understanding at the moment. She hoped it would last for a few more weeks until she got out of the army. "Yeah." She looked up at him. "Are you ready to go get that ice cream?"

"Sure," he chuckled. "Let me get some clothes on."

"I wish you didn't have to," she grinned and then reached up and kissed him.

He felt his body get warm all of a sudden. "Well, after we get back I'll let you undress me."

She smiled and moved out of his arms. She walked into the bedroom with him following. He was hoping that meant that she was going to skip the ice cream and go right for the dessert that he had in mind. "Have you seen my tennis shoes?"

"What?" That caught him off guard.

"Never mind. I see them." She reached under the bed and pulled them out and then sat down to put them on. He stood there and looked at her for a moment. "Aren't you going to get a shirt and some shoes on?"

"Yeah," he smiled and turned around to the dresser to get a t-shirt. 

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." He pulled the shirt over his head. "You just make me smile."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should. Now, where are my shoes?" He looked around the room.

"I believe I tripped over them when I walked in the door." He nodded. She stood up, checked her hair in the mirror and then walked out of the room. "There they are," she pointed.

He picked them up and slipped them on. He always kept them tied loosely so he could do that. "We need to get a big house." He opened the door.

"I need my purse."

"No you don't. I got the keys and some money."

******  
  
Margaret waited patiently as Hawkeye unlocked the door and opened it for her. She had already finished her ice cream cone and was now eying his. "I haven't had pistachio in forever, can I have a bite?"  
  
Hawkeye looked at her suspiciously; he knew what she was after. "Fine, here you go," he handed it over to her with an exaggerated sigh. "I wasn't all that hungry anyway."  
  
"What are you talking about? There's only a tiny bit left, stop being such a baby."  
  
"Me? You're the one who has to finish everything I eat."  
  
Margaret shrugged her shoulders. She kicked off her shoes and began to finish off his ice cream cone. "I can't help it if it tastes better after you've eaten part of it."  
  
"You know," Hawkeye said as he set his keys and wallet down. "You could just skip the calories and go strait to licking the inside of my mouth."

She almost choked on the food in her mouth. His comment hadn't so much shocked her as it did take her by surprise. She just didn't see it coming. "You are..."

"Sexy and funny," he finished for her.

She smiled. "That's what I was going to say." She held out the last bite of the ice cream cone to him and he finished it. "I think I'll take you up on that offer." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him sending her tongue into his mouth. When she pulled away she smiled. "Tastes good, but it's not the same."

A smile spread across his face. "You are so cute." He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close. "And I love you very much."

"So, what do you want to do for the rest of the night?"

"Definitely not bowling."

She laughed. "No. How about...some...gin rummy?"

"That's not exactly what I was thinking." His hands moved from her hips to the button on the front of her pants. "I had another idea."

"Oh? What was that?"

He unzipped her pants and let them fall to the floor. "Something that takes a little more energy."

Margaret wasn't one to object, especially when it came to him. They hadn't been together in what seemed like and eternity, she needed him now. The time it took to get him undressed seemed like it was going to take an eternity, Margaret wasn't sure she could wait that long. "Take this off now." She tugged at his T-shirt urgently. Hawkeye didn't have to be told twice.  
  
"It feels like it's been forever," he whispered before he drew her mouth up to meet his. Margaret's hands moved up his back and then gripped his shoulders and she tried to move closer to him.  
  
"It's almost been a week," she said urgently as she moved to unbutton his jeans. As soon as she had the zipper lowered, Hawkeye hoisted her up and walked across the room where he sat her down on the table. His hands moved up her body as he pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it across the room.   
  
Their mouths found each other again and they kissed feverishly. Hawkeye moved closer and pushed her onto her back. Within a matter of moments he joined her on top of the table and resumed their kiss.   
  
At on point his mouth moved away from hers and to her neck. "Ah..Hawk."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"We're....ah...on the table."  
  
"Yes." He moved back to her mouth.   
  
"Should we..."  
  
"No," he answered before she could finish her question.   
  
She couldn't have argued with him even if she wanted to. "Okay." Her hands moved to the waist of his boxers and tugged at them. She wanted them off. He got off of her and dropped them to the floor and then took her panties off of her. He smiled and climbed back on the table. "Oh," she sighed when she felt his body against hers.   
  
"Mmm," he kissed her neck.  
  
******  
  
The two of them made love on the dining room table for the first time ever. It was fun, but it wasn't the best place to cuddle or sleep. They rested for a few minutes while they caught their breath, but then they got up. Hawkeye picked her up and carried her to the bedroom where he laid her on the bed. He laid next to her and then pulled her close to him. He had an overwhelming urge to keep her as close to him as he could. Margaret drifted off to sleep in no time at all. Hawkeye, having had more than enough sleep that day, stayed awake for a while longer thinking about their relationship.   
  
They had been living together for four months now in that small apartment. Things had started to get more complicated in the past month or two between the two of them. They weren't exactly drifting, but they weren't as close as they had been. Hawkeye had hoped that their vacation would have fixed some of those problems. She had been clingy to him while they were away from home, but when they got home things had gone back to the way they were before they left.   
  
He was unhappy unless they were together, she was unhappy with her job. They were both unhappy with the army and their apartment. Margaret's mind had been elsewhere most of the time. Her whole life was about to change and although she was ready for it, it still scared her. She was leaving the army, moving to a small town in New England, getting married, and starting her life all over again. Hawkeye was the only secure thing she had and she wasn't about to let him go, but for some reason she kept him at arms length most of the time. She didn't know why she did that over and over.   
  
It was sometime around two or so when Margaret realized that she was alone. She had grown so accustomed to sleeping in his arms the entire night through that it was useless to even try. Usually after they made love they slept in rather intimate positions. Hawkeye would either chose to fall asleep on her stomach or have them sleep face to face. Margaret never objected, she loved to feel the whole of her body pressed against his.  
  
She got out of bed and picked up a t-shirt off the floor. Walking from the bedroom to the kitchen she saw him sitting at the table with a glass of water in his hand. Margaret walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hey, I wondered where you went."  
  
Hawkeye reached up and gently caressed her arm. "I'm sorry, I needed something to drink."  
  
Margaret kissed his cheek, "Well why are you sitting out here?"  
  
"I didn't want to wake you," he told her.  
  
Margaret snuggled up to him a little more and let her chin rest on his shoulder. "Well you did, you know I can't sleep without you."  
  
Hawkeye smiled, he loved how much she depended on him, even when it came down to the littlest things. "I know."  
  
"Come back to bed with me," she stood up and grabbed hold of his hand, urging him to follow her.   
  
He stood up and let her lead him out of the room. On his way out he hit the light switch making her find the bedroom in the darkness. Much to both of their surprise they found the bed without running into anything. She crawled in and once he was settled she pressed herself against him resting her head on his chest. She yawned and was back to sleep in under a minute. Hawkeye soon joined her.  
  
When morning came Margaret almost cried. She didn't want to get out of bed and go to work. She felt like she did when she was in junior high. Each morning she would wake up hoping that she had come down with some sort of ailment so she didn't have to go to school, but it never worked. At least now she didn't have her mother waking her up. She had to face the fact that she had to leave the comfort of Hawkeye's arms and go to work. She rolled out of bed reluctantly and went to the shower. She had another boring day to face alone.  
  
Hawkeye woke up while Margaret was in the shower, he couldn't sleep much now that she was out of bed. So, for the first time since they had moved in together, Hawkeye got up and made her breakfast before she went to work. When Margaret walked out of the bathroom she didn't even notice he was gone, the room was too dark. She put on a clean uniform and then walked over to the bed to kiss him goodbye. Much to her surprise, when she leaned over and moved to kiss him, she ended up with a mouth full of pillow.   
  
Margaret felt around, thinking that he had rolled over to the other side of the bed, but it turned out the he wasn't there. Wondering where he had disappeared to, she walked back out into the kitchen. There sitting before was a sight she had yet to see, a plate of freshly cooked eggs was sitting on the table along with a hot cup of coffee.   
  
He spotted her and smiled. "Good morning. I hope you're hungry."  
  
"Good morning," she smiled. "You're up."  
  
"Looks that way."  
  
"Have a seat." He pulled out her chair for her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Bacon is almost done. I had some bad timing."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"It's been a while since I cooked breakfast. I almost forgot how to."  
  
"I didn't think you even knew how to."  
  
He walked over and put some bacon on her plate and then his. "I like to keep some things a mystery for a little while."  
  
She chuckled. "You're crazy." She picked up her fork and started to eat. "Mmm. Honey, this is good."  
  
"Thank you." He took a seat next to her and joined her.   
  
"Why did you get up?"  
  
"I don't like sleeping without you. So I thought I'd make you breakfast."  
  
"Well, thank you."  
  
"You're welcome." He also thought it would be good to be together for a little while. They didn't get to spend enough time together anymore. Their vacation had only served to make that more obvious to each of them. It had also showed them that a vacation was only a break from their problems at home. The weekend was coming up soon and Hawkeye couldn't wait. At least Margaret could sleep in with him and even if they didn't do anything all weekend, they would be together.  
  
Margaret took a bite of her bacon and sighed. "I'm so glad today is Friday."  
  
Hawkeye watched her, she really was exhausted. "I know," he touched her hand. "I can't wait to have you all to myself."  
  
Margaret squeezed his hand and gave him a loving smile. "We're going to spend the entire weekend in bed, sleeping."  
  
"I don't have a problem with that," he agreed. "Just as long as I don't have to let you go."  
  
"I'm counting on it."  
  
"I'm serious, anywhere you go, I'm going with you. I'm not going to let you out of my grasp."  
  
Margaret smiled; she loved how much he wanted to be with her. "Even when I go to the bathroom?" She teased.  
  
"It's nothing I haven't seen before."  
  
"That's true."  
  
He smiled at her. What could he do to make the weekend special? He decided that was going to be his mission for the day. He wanted her to enjoy her time off. "What time do you leave?"  
  
She looked at the clock on the wall. "I have ten minutes." She continued eating.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Are you going to got back to bed?"  
  
"No, I don't think so. I'm sick of being wide awake when you're tired and want to go to bed. Maybe getting on the same schedule will be good for us,"  
  
She smiled. "I think it would." She liked it much better when she went to bed with him instead of him joining her later. "I can't wait until we get to Maine and are really able to have a fresh start."  
  
"Soon."  
  
"Not soon enough."   
  
"We'll be there before you know it. Before long, you'll be the one complaining because you're bored."  
  
"Trust me, I will not complain about being bored," she assured him. Margaret had every intention of staying active and making the most out of their new life.  
  
"Okay, you've got me there. You're a lot better about making the most out of a situation then I am."  
  
Margaret smiled and stood up. "Yes, but I still love you." She leaned down and kissed him.  
  
"I know, you made that evident last night," he grinned. Hawkeye ran a hand over the table.  
  
"You were lucky, that's all. I might not be in such a charitable mood tonight."  
  
"Ah, but it's the weekend. And you did say you wanted to spend the entire time in bed."  
  
"Sleeping," she corrected him.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure we can fit some other activities in there as well."  
  
Margaret smiled, he was incorrigible. "I have to get going sweetheart," she told him.   
  
"What about lunch?" He asked as he stood to his feet.  
  
"I don't know, I'll have to call you."  
  
"Okay." He took her plate from her and placed it in the sink. "I wish you could stay home with me."  
  
"Maybe you could start packing some things. We don't need all of those books and knick knacks out anymore."  
  
He grinned. "I'll think about it."  
  
She gave him a kiss. "Wanna walk me to the door?"  
  
He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders as they walked to the door. He really hated to see her go. He had never been so clingy to someone in his entire life. At this point, she was all he had. She held his life in her hands. He had to trust her with it, and there wasn't another person he would trust. When they made it to the door she let go of him and grabbed her jacket and her purse. "Don't forget to call me."  
  
She smiled. "I will when I get a chance."  
  
He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Be safe. I love you."   
  
"I love you."   
  
He opened the door for her and she stepped out. He watched her walk down the hall and wave as she turned the corner to the stairwell. When she was out of his sight he went back inside. Now what was he going to do? Clean, yes, but that didn't take all day, and he hated packing so that was out of the question.   
  
Hawkeye decided to start planning out their weekend, that was more fun then feeling sorry for himself. Truth be told, he didn't care what they did, just as long as they did it together. Hawkeye was going to try and make a point to stick by her for the duration, even if that meant staying the entire time in bed. Not that he minded if they did.  
  
He took a shower and shaved and brushed his teeth. After he was dressed he quickly did the breakfast dishes and then grabbed his keys and wallet. He knew how tired and stressed out she'd be when she came home, he wanted to make it more bearable for her. Hawkeye didn't mind shopping, in fact he quite liked it when it wasn't with Margaret. Not that he minded going with her, it was just the standing around for hours on end that bothered him.   
  
He went into town and parked the car in a parking lot and then walked up the street. The first store he saw was a lingerie store and he was tempted to go in, but he passed. He had bought her enough of that on their vacation. Then he walked passed a furniture store and decided against that. They didn't need anymore things to move.  
  
The grocery store was his best bet to make something special for her. A dinner was safe enough. It didn't imply anything about sex. He had a hard time thinking of things like that. After that talk while they had in South Carolina, he was working on being able to do things without making it seemed like he wanted sex. He got the food that he wanted and then left the store. What else could he do? He wanted to get something for her, but what?  
  
He placed the bag of food in the car and then went back to the stores. He had an idea. It couldn't be something big because that would mean packing it up. It couldn't be too small because that was too easy to lose in the moving process. Finding something that he wanted he turned and went back to the car and headed home. When he walked into the house it was the first time he really saw how cluttered and crowded the place was. Maybe he could do some organizing. That way they wouldn't be tripping over themselves all the time.  
  
Hawkeye started out by constructing a suitable pathway from the front door to all points necessary. He knew how much Margaret hated having to juggle everything in her arms and manage an obstacle course at the same time. Countless times she had rammed into the edge of a table or chair and was now slowly losing her patience. Hawkeye moved the boxes that were obstructing the walk way and widened the path. The living room filled in a little more as he did this, but at least they would have more room to walk.  
  
As time went on and space became limited, Hawkeye began stacking the boxes higher. Soon the room was filled to the brink and the only way he could get out was by the path he had constructed as he had gone along. It was almost like a game to him, it reminded him of when he'd build play forts when he was a boy.   
  
He packed a few more things as she had suggested and joined the boxes with the others. When he thought he had opened up enough room, Hawkeye turned his attention to a bit of cleaning. He got out the vacuum cleaner and vacuumed the new walkway and the kitchen. When he was done with that, he washed the bedding and remade the bed before cleaning the bathroom and picking up his dirty laundry. Least to say, Hawkeye was very surprised he'd done all of that, despite his gripes about being made a housewife.  
  
When the clock struck five, Hawkeye started preparing the food. He knew since it was Friday Margaret would be home later than normal. They always tried to get as much work done before the weekend, she wouldn't make it home until well after six thirty.  
  


This isn't the greatest ending, but there's still more to come.  Please review.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11  
  
Margaret's day had been filled with paper work, complaints, and chaos. She was cooped up in her office all day long with her phone ringing off the hook. Needless to say she didn't get a chance to call Hawkeye or have lunch with him. She had had a little bit to eat around one, but all that consisted of was a small bag of chips and a bottle of soda. It wasn't nutritional or filling, but it filled a small void and allowed her to get back to work.   
  
Fridays could be such a pain, but it seemed to her they got worse one she informed the army that she was leaving. Most everyday she got calls from the high ups asking her to stay. Making her offer she wouldn't have been able to refuse just a few short years ago, but none were better than the over Hawkeye had. He had offered her love and happiness. A real future with a home and family. She loved him; she didn't love the army. She was ready to take control of her life and make it her own for the first time in her life.  
  
When she finally got out of the hospital she practically ran to her car so no one could talk to her. She didn't want anymore hold ups. She wanted to get home, get out of her uniform and be with her finance. There wasn't a thing in the world that sounded better than that. She could almost feel his arms around her and smell his cologne.   
  
Parking the car, she grabbed her things and headed upstairs to their apartment. Even if she was walking into a mess, it was still home. Opening the door, she found that it wasn't nearly as messy as it had been. She hung up her jacket and then looked around the room. On the other side she saw Hawkeye standing with an unsure smile on his face.  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
She smiled. "Wow. I can't believe you did this. I can actually see the floor." She looked down at the beige carpet. "And you vacuumed!"  
  
"I did." He made his way through the path to get to her. "I thought maybe we'd feel a little more comfortable staying in all weekend."  
  
She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. "I love you."  
  
He held her tight feeling the tension in her body release as he did so. "I'm glad you like it. I wasn't sure you'd approve of my little maze here."  
  
"Oh, I do." She pulled back and looked around. There were boxes stacked so high against the walls that they were inches from the ceiling. "I'd rather see the floor than the walls. They were so bare anyway."  
  
He smiled and let go of her. "You hungry?"  
  
"Starving."  
  
"Follow me." He picked up her hand and led her through the small maze into the kitchen. "Dinner is served."  
  
"I can't believe you did all this." She looked up at him in amazement. Hawkeye had a proud smile on his face. "When did you find the time?"  
  
Hawkeye scratched his head, he hadn't figured that out either. "I guess I was just in the cleaning mood today." He pulled out a chair for her and waited until she was comfortable to sit down.  
  
"What was the occasion?" She asked with a smile.  
  
"Do I need a reason?" Margaret gave him an amused look, she knew him better than that. "I was feeling cramped as hell," he told her. "Not to mention, I was feeling a little claustrophobic."  
  
"I'm glad I wasn't the only one." Margaret started picking through her food and took a bite. Hawkeye thought he heard her moan, but he couldn't be sure. "How did you handle sitting in your little fort? Did it register in there?"  
  
"I know the way out," he smiled. "As long as I'm the one that made the small places in this maze of ours, I'm okay."  
  
She chuckled. "Okay."  
  
"How is it?"  
  
"Like heaven," she took another bite of food.  
  
"Good." He started to eat. He had been tasting the food the whole time he had been cooking it, so he wasn't too hungry. He watched her mostly and she seemed to be like a vacuum with it. "Did you eat today?"  
  
"A little."  
  
He nodded. Maybe working made a person work up an appetite. He didn't remember. "You never called me."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I didn't have the time. My lunch was a bag of chips if that tells you anything."  
  
"Ah," he said. He'd kill for a day so busy that he didn't have time to eat much. He was going to have to start running again because he was gaining some weight from staying home. The food in the kitchen seemed to call to him when he was home alone with nothing to do.  
  
"You're not eating much," she noticed. "You feeling okay?"  
  
"Fine. I ate a lot while I was cooking."  
  
"Ah," that explained a lot. "And now you don't have any room left to eat with me?"  
  
"No, I'll eat in a minute," he said as he watched her.  
  
Margaret took another bite. "You're a walking stomach," she told him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You can eat anything you want and never fill up," she told him.  
  
"Hey," he exclaimed. "That's not true."  
  
Margaret nodded, "No, that's not entirely true. I'll admit you've gained some weight since we've gotten home..."  
  
Hawkeye wasn't sure how to take that, he had been feeling very self conscious lately. With being stuck in the house all day and not being able to run he was afraid he was starting to lose some of his muscle tone. "What?"  
  
Margaret realized her mistake. "No, I didn't mean it like that," she reassured him. "I'm envious of you, you can eat whatever you want and not have to worry about your weight."  
  
He eyed her for a moment not sure if she was just saying that because she noticed it bothered him. "Are you sure I haven't gained too much weight?"  
  
"I'm sure," she smiled. "Eat."  
  
Hawkeye picked up his fork. Now he was worried about his weight. He was beginning to take the housewife role too far. He did lose muscle tone, and he didn't have anything to do during the day. Maybe he would start getting up with Margaret during the week and go running in the park. "You've lost too much."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look at you. You're turning into skin and bones."  
  
She looked down at her stomach. "I am not."  
  
"You're on your way. You need to eat better and stop skipping lunch."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "I know, but I'm fine. You just keep having dinners like this and I'll be alright. I can gain weight in no time, believe me."  
  
"Yeah." Hawkeye looked down at his plate again. He wasn't feeling very hungry anymore.   
  
Margaret took a few more bites and then pushed her plate off to the side. "Did you make any desert?"  
  
Hawkeye realized she was talking to him then. "No." Desert was the last thing he needed.  
  
"I couldn't eat another bite if I tried." She sat back in her chair and beamed in content. He made wonderful meals that always seemed to hit the spot.  
  
Hawkeye stood up and picked up her plate. "I'm glad you liked it." He carried their dishes into the kitchen and rinsed them off. Margaret walked up behind him and poured herself another glass of wine.   
  
"I loved it. Do you want some more wine?"  
  
"No, I'm all set." She sat the bottle back down on the counter and moved to the stove and started to clean. "Woah, what are you doing?"  
  
She looked over at him. "I'm cleaning up."  
  
"No." He picked up her glass of wine and took her by the arm moving her out of the room. "You are to go and change into something comfortable. This weekend is for us to relax and be together."  
  
She smiled. "I can help you."  
  
"No. I don't need any help. Cleaning up will burn off some calories."  
  
She chucked and made him stop walking. She turned around in his arms and wrapped her arms around him. "I like a man with a little meat on his bones. Don't change."  
  
"Meat on my bones?"  
  
"Yes," she smiled.   
  
"You better kiss the meat on these bones goodbye this weekend, because it's all going back to muscle."  
  
She made a pouty face. "Why?"  
  
He gave her a peck on the lips. "Just go change and leave the cleaning to me tonight."  
  
Margaret lifted an eyebrow and smiled. "Okay, I'll be right back."  
  
"Take your time," he told her as she walked to the bedroom. Hawkeye went back to the kitchen and finished cleaning up. Now he was feeling even more self conscious then before. Why did she hate to make that comment about him having 'meat on his bones'?  
  
A few minutes later she was back in the kitchen. Hawkeye didn't even notice her until he backed up into her. "Sorry," she told him, she hadn't meant to disturb him.  
  
"It's okay," he told her. "I'm finished anyway." Hawkeye put the rag he'd been holding on the counter top. Subconsciously he wiped some sweat off his forehead.  
  
"What have you been doing?" His shirt was soaked with sweat. Hawkeye had put most of his frustrations into the task that he'd gone a little overboard.  
  
"Do you want it clean or do you want it clean?"  
  
Margaret smiled. "I've never seen you so worked up."  
  
"I'm not worked up." He took off his shirt and walked back to the bedroom. Margaret followed right behind him.   
  
"That's true, you do tend to sweat very easily."  
  
Hawkeye turned around to look at her suddenly. "How do I look, honestly?"  
  
"What?" Hawkeye had never been insecure about himself. That's why she could tease him.   
  
"My body." He turned and looked in the mirror.   
  
"You sound like a woman."  
  
He rolled his eyes. Why did she have to be like that? "Why can't you just answer the question?"  
  
She looked at him oddly for a moment and then wrapped her arms around him from behind pressing her body against his strong back. "You're perfect, baby. Why is this bothering you?" He didn't answer and moved out of her arms to get another shirt. She stopped him before he could open a drawer. "Aren't you hot?"  
  
"I'm sweating. What do you think?"  
  
She looked at him with her hand on her hip. "Then why are you going to put a shirt on?" He didn't answer and only looked at her. "That's what I thought."  
  
"Margaret, just give me a shirt."  
  
"No." She placed her hands on his chest. "You're too hot. Now tell me what's really going on. You're acting like me, not you."  
  
"Maybe its part of our little role reversal thing we have going on here."  
  
"Honey, you're not making any sense."  
  
Hawkeye sighed and turned and looked at himself in the mirror. "Look at me."  
  
Margaret forced him to turn and face her. "You look fine," she concluded after she'd looked him over.  
  
"I look fine," Hawkeye huffed.   
  
Now Margaret was really confused, she had no idea what he was talking about. "What? Hawkeye, there's absolutely nothing wrong with you."  
  
"You said it yourself, I've gained weight," he told her.   
  
"Honey, what are you talking about?" Whatever he was talking about, was beyond her.  
  
"Look at me," he held his arms out. "I'm getting fat sitting here." He looked down at his stomach.  
  
Margaret suddenly burst into hysteria. "You are not getting fat." She put her hand on his abdomen, "Sweetheart, you are so lean..."  
  
"But face it, I've loss some muscle mass in the past few months," he said.  
  
"Maybe a little, but I can't tell. You look awfully good to me."

He sighed. "I know you're just saying that because you know its bothering me."  
  
"I am not." She placed her hands on his chest. "You look great. You don't need to lose weight, but if you feel you do, then go ahead if it'll make you feel better."  
  
"Are you saying I shouldn't?"  
  
"Honey, I don't think you need to lose weight." He was being so insecure, and it wasn't like him at all.   
  
"What about toning up? I am thirty years old now. Its not going to be so easy for me anymore."  
  
She smiled. Maybe that had something to do with the way he was feeling. "I think if you toned up a little, I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off of your hard body."  
  
He smiled. She knew how to make him feel better. He wrapped his arms around her. "Okay. It's settled then. Every morning when you get up I'm going for a run. Who knows, maybe I'll join a gym." At least it would give him something to do during the day and he would feel better about himself. He wouldn't feel like he was sitting around the apartment accomplishing nothing.  
  
"Good," she smiled. "Then I won't have to get up all alone anymore."  
  
"I got up with you this morning," he told her as he held her.  
  
"But that was only this one time. You've never gotten up with me before."  
  
"Well," he said. "From now on I will."  
  
Margaret laid her head on his chest, "Good. I hate it that we only get to be with one another for four or five hours a day."  
  
"And all through the night," he reminded her.   
  
Margaret smiled, "It's not the same."  
  
"I know honey," he held her tighter. They stood like that for a few minutes in each other's arms. Margaret missed not being able to see him for most of the day as did Hawkeye.   
  
After a moment or two Margaret pulled back and looked at him. "My, you really are sweaty." She pealed herself off him.  
  
"I thought you liked sweaty men," he teased her. "It makes us...more masculine."  
  
"No I don't," she laughed and took a step back. "I think it's disgusting."  
  
"Sure," he rolled his eyes. Hawkeye placed his hands on his hips, "Then why did you insist I keep my shirt off?" 

"It didn't have anything to do with sweat, I can assure you that." 

"So you want me to keep my shirt off?" 

"Well, if you want. You always walk around without a shirt. I just thought that you were only putting one on because you were feeling a little insecure." 

"Me? Insecure? You must be joking." 

She chuckled. "We both have our little insecurities, I just didn't know one of yours was your body." 

"Its not." He walked into the bathroom. 

She followed and stood in the doorway. "Oh? Then what do you call all of that?" She pointed out to the bedroom. 

"What are you talking about?" 

She rolled her eyes. "If its not your body, what is it? Your age?" He looked over at her as he zipped his pants. "It is, isn't it? Being thirty bothers you!" 

"It does not," he pushed past her. Okay, so maybe she was right. It was a combination of things. 

"You're lying to me Benjamin Pierce." She followed him.  
  
Hawkeye turned around suddenly, causing Margaret to stop short. "What bothers me is sitting here day after day with not a damn thing to do. My surgical skills are wasting away and now it appears so is my masculinity."

  
  
"You know that's not true," she told him as she looked up at him. "Not practicing for a few months isn't going to hinder your ability as a surgeon. Look at Colonel Potter, he went a couple of years without touching a scalpel and he's still just as good as any surgeon I know." Hawkeye raised an eyebrow at her and looked away. He knew she was right, he was just so ready to get back into surgery. "And with your masculinity, I haven't a single clue as to what you're talking about."  
  
Hawkeye sighed and looked back down at her. "I'm turning into a house wife."  
  
"So you do a little cleaning, I thought you got over that."  
  
"It's not the cooking and the cleaning." There was alot more to it then that.  
  
"Then what is it?"  
  
"I'm...I'm..." He didn't know exactly what it was. There wasn't really a word to describe it. All he knew that most men didn't sit around all day watching TV and eating bonbons and potatochips. "I don't what it is," he finally said. He couldn't really tell her that he missed being the provider, not to mention that he was feeling as though he wasn't fullfilling his role as the man in the bedroom.  
  
Hawkeye noticed her grinning and turned around and crossed his arms. "You poor thing, you do sound like a house wife," she giggled.  
  
"That's not funny."  
  
Margaret giggled and planted a kiss between his shoulder blades. "Oh calm down, you're starting to sound like my mother."  
  
"Oh, that's just hitting below the belt."  
  
She grinned. "Sorry."   
"You better be." He walked into the living room with her following right behind. "Now, what did you want to do tonight?"   
"I don't know. I had thought that we would pack a little, but you already got that done."   
"That' a good thing. Now we can sit on our fat asses together and do nothing."   
"Hey, you just told me I'm too thin."   
"No," he grinned plopping himself down on the couch. "I said you will be if you keep skipping meals like you've been doing."   
She narrowed her eyes at him and sat down on his lap. "I am not too heavy."   
"I didn't say that either." It was a lot more fun picking on her than it was to have her pick on him. With Margaret it was so easy to turn the tables anyway. "I don't think it would hurt you to tone up a little."   
"What?!"   
He laughed. "I'm kidding. I like my woman soft and vuluptuous." His hand rested on her leg.   
Now he had got her thinking, but she didn't want to continue with it. She would just pass it off like she did so many of the comments he made. "Should we go to a movie?"   
"That depends. Do you feel like going out? I know you worked all day."   
"Yes, but its been a while since we went to see one."   
"That doesn't mean we have to do tonight."  
  
"Do you have any other ideas?"  
  
"We could stay here and watch a movie."  
  
"It's not the same thing."  
  
"Ah, but we can't cuddle in the movie theater," he pointed out.   
  
Margaret did like it when they got to cuddle, it was a nice alternative to spending all day in the office. "We never go out anymore," she tried to justify leaving his arms.  
  
"We never just sit together any more either." Hawkeye had been looking forward to curling up with her all day. After shopping and cleaning, going out again was the last thing he wanted to do.  
  
Ah, he had a point, but Margaret was relentless to try and brake him. "I know how much you like going to the movies. We can get a bucket of popcorn and a soda," she tempted him.  
  
Hawkeye kissed her neck, "Or we could stay here and nibble on something else." It had been a long time since they had just sat together and took their time being with each other. Sometimes they could go hours just caressing and touching.  
  
"Mmm," Margaret sighed. "We're never going to get out of this apartment."  
  
"Is that bad?"   
"I guess not."   
"I cleaned the place up so we would like it better. That way it wouldn't drive you crazy living in a mess."   
She smiled. "Okay. We'll stay home."   
"Good. Tomorrow we'll go with your idea and go see a movie."   
"Okay." She got off his lap and stood to her feet. "Do we have some good snacks here?"   
"Just your luck. I went shopping today."   
"Oh, good." She walked into the kitchen. She wasn't actually hungry, but wanted to know what there was.  
  
Hawkeye stood in the doorway and watched her. She was just looking through the cupboard, not really looking for anything in particular. "Do you still want to watch a movie?"  
  
"Is there anything good on?"  
  
"I don't know, I'll have to check."  
  
Margaret stopped her searching and asked him, "Do we have any chocolate?"  
  
"Chocolate?" Hawkeye hadn't bought any at the store, he'd been extremely health conscious when he went shopping. "Not unless you know of some that I don't."  
  
"Ah," Margaret suddenly turned and started rummaging again. "There's a bag of chocolate chips somewhere in here."  
  
Hawkeye smiled, "Chocolate chips?"  
  
"The semisweet ones. I love those." She searched for a moment longer until she ran across something, "Ah, here they are."  
  
"So we're going to eat chocolate chips and watch an unknown movie?" He laughed.  
  
"Looks that way doesn't it?" She grinned as she opened the bag.  
  
"I have a better idea," he walked up behind her. "We could pretend to watch a movie and neck instead."  
  
Margaret popped a few in her mouth, "That doesn't leave much room for the chocolate."  
  
"Would you rather have chocalote or me?"  
  
She turned around and smiled. "Can't I have both?"  
  
"Nope." He turned and walked into the living room finding his way to the couch.   
  
Margaret followed him into the room. "Why not?"  
  
"Cause you can't." He turned the TV on and then laid on the couch on his back looking up at her.  
  
She looked down, her hands on her hips. "That just doesn't make any sense." He shrugged his shoulders trying to hide his grin. She popped a few pieces of chocolate in her mouth and then placed the bag on the coffee table. She smiled and cafefully laid her body on his, their legs tangled. "How about..."  
  
"Yes?" He smiled waiting for her to continue.  
  
She kissed his jaw. "We can..." She kissed him again.  
  
"What?" He was curious now. She looked into his eyes and smiled brightly. She leaned down and kissed him, sending her tongue into his mouth and accepting his in return. When she was sure she was getting to him, she pulled back. "Mmm, tastes like chocolate." She giggled. "I think I like your idea."   
  
"I didn't tell you get." She kissed him once more.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Why don't we..." She waited a moment before she spoke keeping him in suspense. "Find a good movie on TV?"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"It's a Friday night, there has to be a good movie on somewhere." Margaret sat up and picked up the paper off the coffee table. After a moment of looking she found something, "What do you think of...You'll Never Get Rich?" Hawkeye groaned in response. "Is that a yes?"  
  
"You're sitting on my stomach," he groaned again.  
  
Margaret hit him on the chest, "Shut up."  
  
"Margaret, I can't breathe," he whined.  
  
She ignored him and looked at the paper again. "Or we could watch...The War of The Worlds... that's fairly new."   
  
Hawkeye groaned again.  
  
"Have you seen that one?" She asked him as she pretended not to notice.  
  
Margaret was still looking for the paper when Hawkeye raised his legs and pulled her on top of him again. "I don't want to watch any of them. I want you," he told her softly as he kissed her unexpectedly.  
  
She pulled back a little breathless. "You want me?"  
  
"Uh huh. Why do you sound so surprised?"  
  
That had been the first time in a while that he had made the first move when it came to making love. It wasn't exactly a long time, but it was a good week. "I...I don't know." She lied.  
  
He smiled and pulled her back to his mouth. "I miss you when you're gone. Spend time with me, not the television."  
  
She couldn't help but feel loved when he said that. How could she refuse him? "You really miss me? Its not just because you're bored?"  
  
"Not entirely, no." He kissed her again, wrapped his arms around her and holding her tight. "I love you. I always want to be with you."  
  
"Oh, Hawk." She could feel her heart melt. There was sincerity in his voice and his eyes.  
  
"You didn't know that?" She shook her head no. "How did you not know it?"  
  
"Well, you never told me. You've said how bored you get, and make it sound like you miss me because your bored."  
  
"I don't mean to." He looked deep into her eyes. "I'd miss you even if I was working all day."  
  
She smiled. "Well, I don't know if I've told you this before, but I miss you too."  
  
"We sound like a sappy love story," he joked.  
  
"We are."  
  
He smiled up at her. "That's fine, just as long as no one knows. I'd never live it down."  
  
"Well, we have a good start so far."  
  
"How's that?"  
  
"Only our families know, and we don't put on shows for them."  
  
Hawkeye could hear the slight hint of sorrow in her voice. "Margaret, honey, if you want a big wedding we can have one." Hawkeye lifted her chin and made her look at him. They'd talked about the wedding several times and every time they had agreed to make it a small one. Sometimes however, Hawkeye got the feeling she wanted something more.  
  
"Hawkeye," Margaret grinned. "We've discussed this."  
  
"I know, I know...but are you sure you don't to call up all your childhood friends, your coworkers, everyone from the 4077th? I'll even tollerate that terrible family again if that's what you want."  
  
Margaret laughed, "I'm positive. All I want is a small, private ceremony."  
  
"Are you really, really, really sure?" He wanted her to be happy.  
  
"We could elope and I wouldn't care," she told him.  
  
"Really?" That was giving him ideas. "That could be so much cheaper."  
  
"Don't you want your father there?" She would have thought that would have been a given.  
  
"All I want is you," he said before he pulled her down and kissed her again. "You know something," Hawkeye said after a moment.   
  
"What's that?" She asked, her lips still close to his.   
  
"I can't get you on your back like this."  
  
She chuckled, kissed him again, and laid her head on him. "I kind of like being like this."  
  
"You're a little heavy for me."  
  
"Enough with the weight."  
  
He smiled. "Fine. Can we move?" He was being honest with her now. As much as he enjoyed their closeness, he couldn't move as much as he wanted to.  
  
"I guess so." She gave him one more kiss, and stood up. She picked up the chocolate and waited for him to move. "Did we decide what we're going to do?"  
  
He was sitting now and pulled her down next to him on the couch. "Yes." He removed the bag from her hands and placed it back on the table. He moved in to kiss her and once their lips met he kept pushing until her head was resting on the back of the couch.  
  
"Ah...Hawk?"  
  
"Hmmm?" He didn't stop kissing her.  
  
"My...my...leg."  
  
He moved realizing he was putting too much weight on it. "Sorry," he mumbled against her lips.  
  
"And you say I'm heavy," she commented with a giggle.  
  
Hawkeye pulled back so he could see her face, "You better watch it."  
  
"Or you'll do what?" She challenged.  
  
"You keep doing it and you'll find out."  
  
Margaret's hands moved to his back, "Bring it on...chubby."   
  
"Oh, you think you're funny don't you," he told her. "I'm warning you, you keep it up..."  
  
"And you'll do what?"  
  
Hawkeye gave her a sly smile, "I'll do this." Her eyes went wide as she felt his hand slid up her leg toward her crotch. "Go ahead, try me," he challanged.  
  
She wasn't sure what she wanted at first, but then figured it out. She grinned cockily at him. "Fatty." She jumped a little as she felt his hand land right between her legs and cup her.  
  
"I told you."  
  
She giggled and pulled his head down so she could kiss him. "Yes you did, tubby."  
  
"Margaret," he warned pulling back. "Don't make me..."  
  
"Make you what?"  
  
"You just wait and see."  
  
She looked into his eyes. "What can you do? All I have to do is get up. You wouldn't be able to get your fat ass off the couch in time to catch me."  
  
"Let me remind you, you'd have to get me off you first, and from where I'm sitting, I don't think I want move."  
  
"Oh you'll move," she told him.  
  
"Is that so?" He said coyly. Margaret nodded. "Well I don't see how that's possible, seeing as how I'm too fat to get off the couch."  
  
Margaret patted her thighs, "I have strong legs."  
  
"And don't I know it," he grinned.  
  
"You know, if I wanted to, I could be on my feet in a matter of moments," she told him.  
  
Hawkeye leaned his head down so they're lips were nearly touching, "Do you really want to do that?"  
  
"I don't know, do I fatty?" She quipped against his mouth. With that said, his hand moved from between her legs and up to grasp one of her breasts.  
  
"You don't want me to go any further, do you?"  
  
"Where else is there to go?" She smiled.  
  
"Oh, I can think of some things." He kissed her.   
  
She melted at the touch of his lips. She had missed their sexually teasing and tension. She smiled at him and bent her knees. Before he knew what was happening she pushed him off of her and jumped up. "You'd have to catch me first, chubby."  
  
He smiled widely and jumped to his feet. He made his way through the maze. He saw her walk into the room and sped up. She knew he was right behind her and laughed giddily as he grabbed her and tackled her to the bed. He pinned her hands over her head and kissed her. "Pretty good for a fat guy."  
  
"Very good," she smiled.   
  
"Oh, one more thing."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I am not fat!"   
  
Margaret giggled and tried to free her hands from his grasp, but unfortunately for her he was much to strong. "Let me go," she said as she continued to struggle.  
  
"Nah uh," he smiled. "I told you there'd be consequenses."  
  
"You know I love your body," she tried to sweet talk him. "I just want to be able to touch you."  
  
"I know, you can't keep your hot little hands off me."  
  
"I can't, literally," she breathed as she continued to fight him.  
  
"It's no use baby," he smiled. "Just give it up."  
  
Margaret stopped her struggling and laid still. "Fine," she said as she gave in.   
  
Hawkeye smiled triumphantly and moved to straddle her so she had even less mobility. When he was satisfied that she wouldn't be able to get away, he let her wrists go and moved his hands to her sides. He looked down at her, no grin, no smile, just looked at her. One of his hands moved up to her face and moved some hair away so he could see her eyes better. She was looking up at him content just to look into his eyes for the moment. Their eyes locked as he lowered his mouth to hers, both of his hands resting on her hips.   
  
"Mmm," she moaned. She placed her hands on his neck and held him close. She didn't want to let go of him.   
  
He pulled up much to her disappointment. His eyes locked with hers as his hands moved to the bottom of her shirt. He started to pull up and pulled if over her head and tossed it to the side. He moved back down to kiss her feeling her hands on his bare back once again as she ran her nails up and down causing shivers to come from him. Her legs spread allowing him to settle in between them and lay over top of her. He moved easily from his staddling position to the more relaxed on. He would rather feel her body against his.  
  
Margaret rolled them over and laid her whole body on his. She knew he could take it. She was much small than him. His hands moved around to the back of her bra as they kissed and he unbuckled it with his skilled and practiced hands. As they rolled back so he was on top he pulled the bra off and tossed it as he had done to the shirt. The two of them were left in their pants and nothing more.  
  
"Hawkeye..." Margaret mumbled against his lips.  
  
Hawkeye stopped what he was doing and moved his head back to look at her. "Yes?"  
  
"Can we just...take it slow?" She moved a hand up his naked back. "I just want to feel you."  
  
Hawkeye leaned down and kissed her deeply. "I know," he whispered. Hawkeye moved to her neck and started placing kisses up to her ear. "I hadn't planned on doing anything else tonight."  
  
Margaret tightened her grip on him and held him closer. Whenever she was with him, everything else melted away. "I love you," she whispered into his ear. Hawkeye moved back and looked into her eyes.  
  
"I love you too." He brushed a lock of her hair back.  
  
She smiled slightly as he went back to placing kisses on her body. He made everything go away. All problems were far away. When they were together, there wasn't anything else in the world. Margaret could never do that with any other man, but Hawkeye was different. When she was with him, she was with him 100%. His soft touch sent shivers through her body. She had never just had 'sex' with him. He made love to her each and every time. It was never rushed or just for fun. Sure, they had fun, she never had so much fun in her life, but it was more than that.   
  
Her hands ran up and down her back and finally after ten minutes of his tantaling and torturous kisses, she started to tug at the waist band of his pants. She needed to feel his skin against hers. Feel how aroused he was. It was so much torture to be like that. It made the consummation that much better.  
  
"Off," she groaned. He rolled off of her pulled her on top of him. "No."  
  
"What?"  
  
She tugged at his pants. "Off."  
  
"Oh," now he understood. Margaret sat up and started to undo his pants. She popped the button and unzipped his fly. Hawkeye lifted his hips as she pulled them off and threw them across the room.   
  
Hawkeye pounced on her, forcing her onto her back in the middle of the bed. He was quick to get her pants off and even quicker to get her panties off. Before she knew it they were both naked and lying in each other's arms.   
  
"Don't you think this is better then watching a movie?" He was saying into her ear.  
  
"Mmm...don't speak." She muttered and drew his mouth back to hers. Hawkeye of course, was more than willing to oblique. 

She kept his mouth close to hers at all times. She loved when he kissed her body, but she wanted to kiss his lips. It was more intiment and it was what she wanted. It didn't take long and she could feel him getting antsy. He was moving around trying to get himself some sort of relief until she was ready too. It had been over a half an hour since they had started goofing off. Thinking about how the whole thing started made him want to smile, but Margaret's lips on his didn't allow him too.

Finally she mumered something into his ear letting him know that she was ready. He got between her legs and the two of them became one. He didn't move his hips for a little, content just to stay there and kiss her. She was the one that moved her hips letting him know that she was ready.

They laid together breathing deeply, both looking up at the ceiling. Sweat was covering both of them. They both had quite the work out, not that either minded. If working out was that much fun Hawkeye would have done it more often. He rolled onto his and laid his arm across her flat stomach. "God, that was good."

"Uh huh."

He smiled and kissed her on the shoulder. "Why don't we do that more often?"

"Because I have to work in the mornings."

He chuckled. "That was a lot better than watching a movie, don't you think?"

"Maybe," she teased with a smile.

"Why do you insist on picking on me today?"

"You're so lovable," she told him.

"Yeah, yeah...I'm just the only whom you can get with it on."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is," he stated.

Margaret thought for a moment, "Well, maybe a little, but that's only because you're the only one who doesn't think I'm an asshole because of it."

"Aww," Hawkeye teased. "You mistreat me because you love me."

"Exactly."

"Well I love you too."

She giggled. He rolled over and wrapped his arms tightly aronud her gathering her to him. "You know something?"  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I was thinking about our wedding and what I really want."  
  
"Is it going to cost me a lot of moeny?"   
  
She hit him playfully. "No. What I want is something small. In Maine. With just our familes and a few close friends. And then I want to leave for our honeymoon that same night. I want to spend our wedding night on some tropical island."   
  
He smiled. "Sounds nice." He reached to the bottom of the bed and pulled the covers up over them. He went back to spooning with her. "Are you sure that's what you want?"  
  
"Yes. Its inexpensive and private."  
  
That was what he wanted, but if she wanted more he was more than willing to give her what she wanted. "What would you say if we had a big church wedding? We could invite anyone we ever met."  
  
That was odd. That didn't sound like him. "What?"  
  
"I'm serious. Do you want that?"  
  
She sighed hoping he really didn't want that. "Um, no. If you do..."  
  
"No, baby. I'm not picky. I just want you to tell me what you really want. I want to give you what you want."  
  
She smiled. "All I want is something small, but beautiful. I want our family there and some friends. I doubt my parents will come, but I know Katie will."  
  
"Are you going to invite them? Your parents, I mean."  
  
She nodded. "I have to give them the chance. If they chose not to come, then its on their shoulder's, not mine."  
  
He could hear the hurt in her voice and pulled her tighter giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry. Do you want me to try to fix it?"  
  
"No. It'll just take time, and as far as our wedding goes, I'm not willing to change the date just to wait for them. Their problems are not my fault. I love you. They don't have to. I had just hoped they would love me enough to be there for me, but I was wrong."  
  
"Honey, you don't even know if they'll come yet."  
  
"I know they won't."  
  
"Margaret," he moved so he could see her face. "They love you, I know they do. It's me whom they hate."  
  
"No, they're disappointed in me, it's my fault."  
  
"Margaret, you didn't do anything wrong," he told her. "Please, don't think that way."  
  
"Oh," Margaret sighed. "I wished I knew what to do."  
  
He gave her a kiss on the cheek. There was a lot more bothering her than just working too much. Sometimes he got so caught up in his own problems and issues that he forgot that she had problems too. Ones that she kept to herself. "Time will fix it."  
  
"I hope you're right. I want our children to have more than one grandparent."  
  
"Me too. But, since that's a while off, we don't have to worry about it this second."   
  
"Yeah," she sighed. She closed her eyes and snuggled into him as much as she could. "Three more weeks and we get married. We need to start getting serious about planning things."  
  
"We don't have to do it right now, do we?"  
  
She smiled. "No. But maybe we should start this weekend. At least tell everyone when we want to get married so they can make arrangements to come."  
  
"Yeah." He was less than enthused about it. Planning a wedding was not his idea of a good time.  
  
"I know, you're not excited about planning it. But we have to do it sometime."  
  
"Can't we talk about this tomorrow?"  
  
"Don't worry," she assured him. "I'm not in anymore a mood to talk about it then you are."  
  
"Could've fooled me, I know how you like listen to your own voice."  
  
Margaret turned in his arms so they were facing each other. "Now look who's picking on whom."  
  
In the position they were lying in, Margaret was beginning to overpower him. Hawkeye had to lay back in order to see her. "I didn't do anything."  
  
"Sure, try and play coy." She moved more onto him, which in turn caused Hawkeye to shift so he was lying horizontal across the top of the bed. "I know what you're trying to do, and it's not going to work."  
  
Hawkeye looked behind him to make sure he wasn't near the edge of the bed and moved backwards as she continued to climb over him. "I wasn't trying to do anything," he told her again.  
  
"Don't play innocent with me," she said with leer.  
  
Hawkeye smiled, normally he would have liked to have this certain naked woman maneuvering over him, but he was fearful now that she was going to smother him. He smiled nervously up at her. What was she up to? "I'm not."

She leaned down and kissed him and then laid her head on his chest. "Goodnight, chubby."

Hawkeye rolled his eyes but wrapped his arm around her. "Goodnight, mouth." He felt her giggled against his chest and relax. He allowed himself to relax against the pillows and be in the moment with her. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep hearing her mumble, 'I love you,' before he dozed off.

It had been a nice night at home. They both slept the whole night through not moving from the spot they had fallen asleep in. When the sun started to shine through the window and Hawkeye opened his eyes, he began to wish he did move during the night. His neck was stiff. He tried to move a little but groaned when his neck wouldn't move. Margaret stirred a little, but never woke up. After a moment he slipped out of bed without waking her, but strained his neck a little. He couldn't bend over so he didn't bother grabbing a pair of boxers or pants and headed to the bathroom. When he came out she was still sound asleep spread out across the entire bed. 

Hawkeye stood beside the bed and watched her for a moment before climbing in. He tilted his head and looked at her sleeping form. She was lying horizontal across the bed, very much in the same position that they had fallen asleep in. Margaret had the covers wrapped around her loosely and was sleeping with her head resting on the mattress. Hawkeye stood beside her head and gently ran his hand threw her hair. She was so peaceful when she was sleeping, it was a shame she wasn't so calm during the day. Hawkeye smiled to himself, he loved how passionate she got over the littlest things, that was one of the things he loved most about her.  
  
He watched her for a moment longer and then moved to crawl back into bed. It was only seven o'clock and it was much too early for him to be awake. Hawkeye wanted her to sleep for as long as possible, goodness knew she deserved it. He decided not to try and move her for fear she'd wake up, so instead he moved so they were lying side by side and shielded her body with his. Within moments she subconsciously shifted and moved so she was resting against him. Hawkeye lay awake for a little while longer, he was just happy she was home and they were together. Within minutes he wrapped an arm around her and snuggled up to her and fell asleep.  
  
They slept for hours like that. Neither moved a muscle and it gave Hawkeye's neck a chance to loosen up. Sleeping in was a lot better when he was curled up with his naked fiancé rather than alone in bed with nothing to look forward to. It gave him a whole new outlook on the day.  
  
Rather than get up and get dressed and go somewhere that morning, they lounged around in their robes letting the coffee wake them a little better. Hawkeye had turned on the TV and found some morning cartoons. Margaret thought it was silly, but he convinced her to sit down and they cuddled together watching Saturday morning cartoons. Hawkeye found it more entertaining than she did, but relaxed and enjoyed it just the same. The best part was being together.  
  
Without having to live within time constraints for the day they decided to take it easy and do what they wanted. Margaret had wanted to go to see a movie that evening so they went out for that. It was nice to do something together again, to get out and hold hands. They shared a soda at the movie and a tub of popcorn. It was like a real date. Something that they hadn't done for a while.

"Admit it," Margaret told him as they walked up the stairs to their apartment. "You found that movie more emotional than you're willing to say."  
  
"It was a nice movie," Hawkeye said. "But I wouldn't say I found it emotional."  
  
Margaret looked at him, she couldn't believe that. "You were crying," she blurted out.  
  
"I was not crying," he tried to make clear to her. Maybe he had enjoyed the movie and gotten into it a little bit, but he wouldn't take it as far to say he had been crying.  
  
"Yes you were." A smile spread across her face, "Don't think that I didn't see."  
  
Hawkeye let go of her hand and pulled out his keys. "It was dark in there, how in the world would you know whether I had been or not?" He walked a head of her so he could open the door.  
  
"It wasn't completely dark and we were sitting pretty close together, I could see you just fine."  
  
He took a moment to unlock the door and then moved to hold it open for her. "I was not crying," he said as she walked past him.   
  
"Fine, think what you want," she told him as she took of her jacket. "But I know what I saw."

"I can never win with you, can I?" He hung his coat next to hers.   
  
"Well, honey, I saw the tears on your face." She called as she walked into the bathroom.   
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes with a little grin on his face. "You're too much Margaret Houlihan," he said to himself.  
  
"What was that?" She yelled from the bathroom.  
  
"I didn't say anything." She must have ears like a coyote. He walked the path that lead him to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. It wasn't too late, but it wasn't early anymore either. Tomorrow was Sunday and neither one of them went to church, so what did it matter?  
  
Margaret went into the kitchen to find him. "Hawk! What are you doing?"  
  
He turned around a little surprised at her tone. "I'm making coffee."  
  
"Its seven o'clock."  
  
He chuckled. "That's okay. It's not against the law."  
  
"But we'll be up all night." He grinned and nodded, but she didn't see him. "I don't want to be up all night."  
  
"So don't drink any." It was as simple as that.   
  
"But you can't drink coffee alone."   
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes. She had too many rules for silly things like drinking coffee. "Then have some if you want some."  
  
Margaret shook her head; "No thank you."   
  
"Fine then, but don't go complaining to me when you're tired."  
  
"Some people actually like sleeping when it's dark," she told him.  
  
"You have no sense of fun," he turned his nose up to her.  
  
Margaret patted his chest and then moved over to the refrigerator, "I do, it just doesn't call for staying up all night."  
  
"Yeah, I know," he said under his breath.  
  
Margaret shot him a look, "I'm sorry, I was tired." She knew he was gesturing to the fact that she had fallen asleep at ten o'clock.   
  
Hawkeye smiled, she'd done it again. "I know, you slept twelve hours."  
  
"Well working like I do takes a lot out of me. What was your excuse?"  
  
Hawkeye's jaw clenched. He didn't want to fight with her and part of him actually agreed with what she had said. "I suppose it was moving the whole damn place around by myself."  
  
Margaret realized then what she had said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to sound like it sounded."  
  
"It's fine. Most other days you would have been right."  
  
"No. I wouldn't. You're here for me, because you wanted us to be together and this was the only way we could right now. Any other man I know wouldn't have done what you've done."  
  
"Maybe they're smarter."  
  
Margaret looked at him trying to figure out if he meant that or not. "Do you really think so?"  
  
He turned and looked her in the eye. "Sometimes, yes. Other times, no."  
  
"So you don't want to be here with me?"  
  
Uh oh. He had hit that button with her; her fear of being alone. "I didn't say that."  
  
"Yes you did. You wish you would have stayed in Maine."  
  
"I never said any such thing," he waved his hand in protest.  
  
"But that's what you meant isn't it?" Her voice had raised another notch. "You're regretting being here with me."  
  
"No," Hawkeye said firmly. "I don't regret that."  
  
"Then tell me," Margaret hands were perched on her hips again. "What is it that you meant, if that's not how you feel?"  
  
Hawkeye could feel himself getting angrier, he hated it when she put words in his mouth. "I came here because I wanted to be here, with you."  
  
"And now you're changing you mind?" She automatically assumed.  
  
Hawkeye had to look away for a moment and collect himself before he said something he'd regret. "No," he told her in a softer voice. "I'm not changing my mind."  
  
"Then what is it?" She snapped.  
  
Hawkeye's eyes flared, she wouldn't even consider giving him a break for a single moment. "I'm just anxious to get moving. After being stuck in this apartment by myself all day, I'm feeling a little restless."  
  
"So you do want to go?"  
  
"Margaret," he said firmly. "I want to go. Are you satisfied?"  
  
She felt tears welling up in her eyes. She closed her eyes for a second in hopes of holding them back. "I knew it!"  
  
"You knew nothing. Yes, I want to go. But guess what?"  
  
"What?" She snapped.  
  
"As hard as this may be for me to say at this particular moment, I want to be with you more than I want to leave. I don't want to leave here because of you. I want to leave here with you. Why is that so hard to get through to you? You always think I'm on the verge of leaving you."  
  
She looked away. Answering that would bring up too many old feelings and old heartaches. "You're unhappy here. I know you are."  
  
"And so are you."  
  
"If I could leave, believe me I would. But I can't leave right now. I have other commitments."  
  
"I understand that. That's why I'm here with you. If it were the other way around, I know you would do anything you had to, to be close to me." That was one thing he loved so much about her. When she loved someone she was willing to do just about anything for them. Unfortunately some people took advantage of her in that way, but he didn't.  
  
She sighed. "Hawkeye, if I could do it, I would leave with you right now and follow you wherever you want me to go. But I just can't. I can't leave and..."  
  
He held his hand up to stop her from going any further. "And I don't want you to. I never asked you to do that."  
  
"But I know that's what you're thinking, what you want."  
  
"Margaret!" Hawkeye was getting tired of this. "Stop assuming that you know what I'm thinking, because you don't!  
  
"  
  
Margaret stayed silent as she tried to fight back her tears. It wasn't just him that was making her upset, she was letting her fears get the best of her. She was so scared of being alone and she was just certain he wanted to leave. "Then what are you thinking?"  
  
Hawkeye walked over to her and put his hands on her arms, she was visibly upset. "I want to be with you, nothing is ever going to change that. It's true that I can't wait to get out of here, but you're apart of the deal. Face it baby, you're stuck with me forever."  
  
Margaret gripped his arm with her hand and let her face rest on his chest. "I know you're unhappy here, it's all my fault."  
  
"Margaret, when I'm with you I couldn't be any happier, and that's the God's honest truth."  
  
"Do you really mean that?"  
  
"I really do."  
  
She smiled wrapped her arms around his torso and held on to him. "I just get afraid when you say things like that."  
  
"Honey, I didn't say anything. That was all you."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
He smiled holding her tight. "I'm sure. You tend to put words in my mouth."  
  
"I'm sorry. You know why, don't you?"  
  
"I do. And even if it kills me I'm going to break you of that one day."  
  
"Maybe once we have a real home and start our life together for real, I'll feel better about everything."  
  
"Maybe a little better, but I doubt that will fix everything."  
  
She pulled back looking into his eyes. "Maybe not, but we'll be okay, won't we?"  
  
"Of course." He dropped a kiss on her lips.  
  
Margaret kissed him back and hugged him warmly. "I'm going to use the bathroom, I'll be back in minute."  
  
"Okay." Hawkeye let her go. "I'll be in the living room."  
  
Margaret went to the bathroom and washed her face. She'd gotten so caught up in her emotions that she'd let some tears fall. Hawkeye made her feel so vulnerable, she just couldn't hold herself together when it came to him. Margaret dried her face and fixed her hair. When she was satisfied that she looked presentable, she went back out to the living room.  
  
"I got you a water because I knew you didn't want coffee," Hawkeye told her as she took a seat beside him.  
  
Margaret smiled gratefully at him, "Thank you."  
  
"Come here," Hawkeye opened his arms inviteningly. Margaret willingly laid her back against his chest. "Are you feeling better?" He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.  
  
Margaret held onto one of his arms and snuggled against him. "I am now."  
  
"Good," he said softly. "I don't want you to ever to doubt me again. I love you," he kissed her hair. "I always will."  
  
Just hearing that made her feel better. Margaret nodded, "I know. I love you too."  
  
"Good, now that we have that settled let's get to more important things."  
  
"Like what?" She didn't look at him, but kept her head against his chest feeling his heartbeat.   
  
"Well," he said as his hand traveled down her thigh. "How about an arousing game of tonsil hockey?" She giggled. He made her feel like a teenage again saying it like that. "I'm serious."  
  
Her hand lay on his stomach just above his belt buckle. "You're never serious." He did have his moments though, but one of the reason he made her so happy was that he made her laugh. No one else made her laugh like him. Sometimes it was against her better judgment to laugh at his jokes, but she didn't let that stop her anymore.   
  
They had just finished watching a movie so he wasn't interested in watching TV at the moment. It wasn't even on and he didn't want to get up to turn it on either. He grabbed his coffee off the table and took a sip, but almost spilled it on him when Margaret surprised him by moved her hand lower to leg. "Ah," he smiled. "You do want to play."  
  
She craned her neck and looked up at him. "Did I say I didn't want to?"  
  
"No, I guess not."   
  
She reached over and took his coffee from him placing it on the table. Then she moved so she could straddle his lap. "Now, how about that game of tonsil hockey that you mentioned."  
  
Hawkeye grinned and placed his hands on her hips. "What, you're not going to tease me first?"  
  
Margaret lifted his chin and leaned down and kissed him deeply. She pressed her body against his in a suggestive manner and wrapped her arms around his neck as they kissed. After a moment she parted her lips from his and looked at him. "Does that answer your question?"  
  
Hawkeye nodded and then pulled her closer again. He found it so arousing when she was the aggressive one. His hands moved up her back as hers slowly imitated his. They kissed softly and lovingly, enjoying the feeling of just being together. Hawkeye wasn't interested in making love to her just yet, sometimes kissing could be just as rewarding.  
  
She was a very passionate woman and seemed to appreciate their time together just as much as he did.  
  
Hawkeye's mouth moved to her neck as they paused to breathe. When she really got going she was a handful. Some women would just sit there and let him kiss them, but Margaret liked to get in on the action too. At the moment the seam of her jeans was pressed into his crotch, making his excitement even less than bearable.  
  
She knew this and ground herself against him. Sometimes the teasing and tormenting was her favorite part. He would get so heated that nothing would calm him down and when he reached the point that he thought he was going to explode, she would tease just a little while longer. With her pressed against him like that and kissing him, he wasn't sure how much more he could. He grabbed her by the hips and in one fell swoop she was on her back on the couch and he was between her legs pressing his clothed body to hers. She smiled up at him. "Wow. And you say you need to work out."  
  
He grinned and zeroed in on her mouth. "I guess I was wrong."   
  
Their hands wandered some more and now she was the one that was being tortured. He was in control now. Her neck was her weakest point on her body and that's right where he headed with his mouth. He traveled from her full red lips, across her jaw, and down to neck. "Hawk," she managed to breath.  
  
"Mmm," he moaned. She wiggled underneath him trying to get some sort of relief, but nothing worked.   
  
"Hawk. I...ah...heard...oh," she sighed. It was so hard to concentrate. "A knock."  
  
"They'll go away." He mumbled against her lips before he kissed her again.  
  
The knocking just got louder and the person on the other side of the door became more determined. "No." She wanted them to go away, but they wouldn't.  
  
"Yes."  
  
She tried to stop him and move, but he wouldn't let her. "Coming," she yelled to the unknown person as she tried to avoid his mouth. "Move." He had her pinned to the couch and she couldn't move anything except her hands.  
  
"Margaret," Hawkeye groaned. She was pushing against his chest with her hands and pressing into his stomach with her knee. "Come on."  
  
"Will you get off me?" She grunted as she continued to push at him. "There's someone at the door."  
  
"They'll go away."   
  
"No they won't, now get off me." She moved her knee lower so it was pressing between his legs.  
  
"Okay, okay." He sat back on his feet and let her get up.  
  
Margaret straitened her shirt and brushed back her hair.   
  
"Coming!" She called again as she made her way to the door. Hawkeye sat back and sighed, this night wasn't turning out like he had hoped it would. Hopefully whoever it was would just leave and they could get back to what they were doing.   
  
Margaret ran to the door, whoever was out there had been knocking for a while now. She turned back the lock and flung open the door. Her eyes widened with shock and surprise. "Lorraine!"

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	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

"Margaret." She hugged her old friend. "How are you?"  
  
Margaret pulled back and looked at her. "I'm great. How are you?"  
  
"Couldn't be better." She smiled.  
  
"Wow, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh, well I was in town and since I know you're here, I decided to stop in and surprise you."  
  
Margaret realized then that they were standing in the door. She stepped back. "Please, come in." Lorraine stepped in and Margaret shut the door behind her. "Its been so long."  
  
"About two years now." She spotted Hawkeye sitting on the couch and couldn't help but smile. He was a very good looking man. "Who's that?" She whispered to her friend.  
  
Margaret looked over there. "That's Hawkeye Pierce."  
  
"Whoa, wait a minute. The Hawkeye? The famous Romeo of the 4077th?"  
  
Margaret nodded. "The same one."  
  
"Margaret," she said out of the side of her mouth. "You didn't tell me."  
  
"Oh, there was nothing going on between us then. Hawk, I'd like you to meet my friend Lorraine. She was at the 4077th that time that we traded a doctor and a nurse to the 8063rd."  
  
He stood up and offered his hand. "Ah, yes. Nice to meet you."  
  
"I wish I would never had traded knowing you were at my unit while I was away."  
  
Hawkeye smiled. "Margaret never mentioned that you were a friend."  
  
Lorraine looked over her shoulder at her friend. "There's a lot Margaret never mentioned." She let go of Hawkeye's hand and turned to see Margaret. "So, care to tell me what this is about?" Margaret smiled and held her left hand wiggling her ring finger. "You're married?!"  
  
"Not yet." Margaret let her friend take a good look at the ring. "Soon."  
  
"Wow, much nicer than that other one you had on your hand."  
  
Margaret held up her hand and admired the ring on her finger. "I know, there's actually a visible diamond on this one."  
  
"How much did it cost?" Lorraine held Margaret's hand so she could get a better look at the ring.  
  
"I don't know." Margaret looked over at her fiancé, "How much did it cost?"  
  
Hawkeye chuckled as he walked into the kitchen. "That's my secret."  
  
"Well it had to have been pretty expensive," Lorraine commented as she examined the diamond.  
  
"I know."  
  
"And didn't Donald come from a wealthy family?" She stood up and released her friend's hand.  
  
"Yes, he was."  
  
"What about him?" She gestured to Hawkeye who was still in the kitchen.  
  
"His father owns a small private practice in Maine," Margaret told her.  
  
"I'm impressed," Lorraine smiled approvingly.  
  
Margaret smiled; so was she. "So, how are you? It's been forever since we talked."   
  
"I'm just fine." She looked around. "Are you moving?"  
  
"Yes. I'm out of the army in three weeks."  
  
"You're what?! You have to be kidding me?"  
  
"No," Margaret smiled. "I'm not. I'm finished with this lifestyle."  
  
"Wow," she smiled. "I never thought I'd see the day that Margaret Houlihan would get out of the army all on her own free will."  
  
"Its true," Margaret smiled. "Let's go sit down."  
  
"Is that coffee I smell?"  
  
"Yes. Hawk just made some. It's fresh. Would you like a cup?"  
  
"I'd love one."  
  
"Follow me, you could get lost in this maze."  
  
Lorraine laughed. "Are you going to join us?" She looked at Hawkeye.   
  
"Maybe in a little."  
  
"Okay." When they walked into the kitchen Lorraine took a seat. "He's good looking. Not what I had pictured as your type, but..."  
  
"No, but he's the one." Margaret smiled to herself as she poured two cups of coffee. "I was looking in all the wrong places. How do you take your coffee?"  
  
"Milk and sugar please."  
  
"Okay." Margaret got the milk.   
  
"What's he doing here?"  
  
Margaret turned and eyed her, and eyebrow arched. "What do you think?"  
  
Lorraine looked at Margaret for a moment with wide eyes. "You mean...you and he?"  
  
Margaret nodded. "We've been living together for about four months now."  
  
"Four months?" Lorraine could hardly believe her ears. "And you guys are sleeping in the same bed?"  
  
Margaret set down the mug she was holding in her hand and looked at her friend. "Where else would he be sleeping?"  
  
"I...I don't know. I mean, of course you'd be sleeping together, but I just never thought you were the type..."  
  
"I know what you mean," Margaret went back to fixing the coffee. "It's just that he was in Maine and I was here and we didn't want to be apart, so he moved here to be with me."  
  
Lorraine smiled; she could see how happy it made Margaret to talk about him. "That's sweet."  
  
"Yeah, it is." Margaret handed her, her cup and Lorraine thanked her. "Come on, let's sit in the living room and talk."  
  
Lorraine followed her back out there and the two of them sat down. Margaret sat on the couch while Lorraine made herself comfortable in a chair. "Where's Hawkeye?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sure he just went to the bathroom or something." She remembered what they were doing before Lorraine knocked on the door. "He'll be back out."  
  
"Good. I want to get to know the man who seemed to capture your heart."  
  
Margaret smiled brightly. She was more than happy to talk about Hawkeye any time. It was nice to have someone that was interested rather than have them act like they hate him like her family did. "Oh, Lorraine, he's wonderful. He's everything I ever dreamed of and more. He'd do anything for me."  
  
"Sounds like true love."  
  
"It is. He's the first man I've ever wanted to really settle down with and start a family."  
  
"Oh, Margaret. Better be careful with you two living together and all, that you don't end up giving birth six months after you're married."  
  
"Impossible. We're getting married in less than a month."  
  
"Good. You're father would kill you." Suddenly Lorraine's eyes went wide. "Does he know about your living arrangements?"  
  
"No! And don't you dare say a word to anyone."  
  
"Scouts honor. How did he handle the news?"  
  
"Not so good. I don't want to talk about that though."  
  
Lorraine knew Margaret's father well enough, she didn't have to be filled in. "Enough said."  
  
Margaret smiled, that was one of the things she liked about Lorraine. She never really had to explain anything; they were both thinking the same thing. "Let's just say, he'd met Hawkeye once before, and the memory was more than enough for him."  
  
"I wish I had had the pleasure," Lorraine smiled suggestively. Margaret giggled and gently shoved her friend. "I'm serious; he's very easy on the eyes."  
  
"You should see him with his shirt off," Margaret winked. She felt like a teenager at a slumber party.   
  
"That good huh?"   
  
"Let's just say, he makes Derrick Mathews look second class," she giggled.  
  
"Derrick Mathews? As in Major General Mathews's son? The same boy whom you wasted a whole summer pining after?" Lorraine exclaimed. Margaret nodded with a laugh.   
  
"Who's Derrick Mathews?" A new voice joined the conversation. Margaret turned her head and looked up to see him standing behind the couch. She reached and grabbed his hand.  
  
"Hey, there you are."  
  
"Who's Derrick Mathews?"  
  
Margaret smiled and looked at her friend. "Should I tell him?"  
  
Lorraine thought for a moment. "I don't see why not."  
  
Margaret looked up at her fiancé. "You might want to sit down for this." She tugged on his hand so he would walk around the couch and sit next to her.  
  
Hawkeye looked carefully at the two women. He wasn't so sure he wanted to be in the same room with two old friends catching up, but he decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. He really hadn't meant Lorraine either and didn't want to be rude. "Okay. Now tell me who that person is."  
  
"You tell him, Margaret. I think he would take it better coming from you."  
  
"Okay," she smiled. "Derrick Mathews is this boy that Lorraine pined for one whole summer when we were teenagers."  
  
"What?! Oh, no. Don't you believe her. She was after him. He was a general's son, very good looking too."  
  
"Was he ever. He was built." Margaret remembered. "I thought I was in love with him. He was a year ahead of us in school."  
  
"She chased him around all summer."  
  
"I did no such thing!"  
  
"Don't lie to me Margaret Houlihan. I was there."  
  
"I did not chase him around all summer," Margaret told her with a smile.  
  
"You did too, everywhere he was you had to be too."  
  
"Oh that's a lie. We bumped into each other every now and then, but it wasn't like I was stalking him."  
  
Lorraine rolled her eyes, "Fine, believe what you want."  
  
"Oh knock it off," Margaret told her with a grin.  
  
Lorraine's eyes suddenly widened. "Speaking of which," she smiled widely. "You'll never believe who I bumped into a few months ago."  
  
"You're kidding!" Margaret exclaimed. She put a hand over her heart, "Does he still look the same?"  
  
Lorraine leaned forward, "Better."  
  
"You have to tell me everything," Margaret said excitedly.  
  
Behind them Hawkeye was watching them with disgust. He wasn't going to sit there and listen as they drooled over another one of those stuck up pretty boys who thought they were God's gift the world. Hawkeye stood up, he didn't want to be there and listen to them any longer.  
  
No one seemed to notice when he left. He didn't know whether that was good or bad. He started to go toward the bedroom and looked back at the two women. He was just in time to see his fiancé take a sip of coffee. He felt his blood boil thinking about how she could have coffee and stay up with a friend, but not with him. He rolled his eyes and walked into the bedroom.  
  
Once he was in there, he didn't know what to do. They didn't have TV in there. They couldn't have even if they wanted; there wasn't any room. Now what was he going to do? All he had thought about all week was spending time with Margaret and now here she was chatting with an old friend leaving him alone and bored once again. He spotted a book on a table in there and picked it up. Plopping himself down on the bed, he turned the bedside lamp on and opened the book.  
  
Out in the living room Margaret and Lorraine were talking and laughing about old time. Hawkeye could still hear their voices and their laughter. They weren't even trying to keep it down. Why did she have to appear at their door tonight? That woman had horrible timing. And Margaret, she was worse. She didn't even seem to care about him. She pushed him to the side once again.  
  
"Would you like something to eat?" Margaret asked her friend.   
  
"Yeah. Let's find something good."  
  
Margaret smiled and led the way to the kitchen once again. "Hawk went shopping yesterday and got a few things."  
  
"He grocery shops?"  
  
"Yes. He's not working right now."  
  
"Wait a minute." That just didn't sound right to her. "From what I've heard he's one of the best surgeons there is. Why isn't it working? What's wrong with him?"  
  
Margaret's shoulder's squared. "Nothing! How could you say that?"  
  
"Well Margaret, I mean..."  
  
She looked her friend in the eye. "Nothing is wrong with him."  
  
"Okay, okay," Lorraine held her hands up. "I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that he's a high profile surgeon, I was just curious."  
  
"Well if you hadn't noticed, there's no place around here for him to work. There's just the hospital and that's it. The closest civilian facility is over fifty miles away."  
  
"That's true."   
  
"And besides, no one wants to hire a doctor who can't make any commitments."  
  
"That is also true," Lorraine said.  
  
Margaret looked through the cupboard, "We have some snack foods."  
  
"That's fine, I had dinner earlier."  
  
"Very well," she pulled out a couple boxes of crackers and a couple other things. "Hawkeye also bought some beer, would you like one?"  
  
"Sure." Margaret got them each a beer and they carried everything out to the table and took a seat.   
  
"I wonder where Hawk went."  
  
"Probably got sick of listening to you drool over all those boys from when we were kids."  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes. "No. That's not like him."  
  
Lorraine chuckled. "I don't know then."  
  
Hawkeye was in the bedroom and thought it was odd that he didn't hear anymore voices. He waited a few minutes and he still didn't hear anything. Maybe Lorraine left. He closed his book and got up. Opening the door he saw the two of them sitting at the table with food scattered all over the top. "I thought something happened to you two. I didn't hear any cackling."  
  
"Ha, ha." Margaret looked at Lorraine. "He thinks he's funny."  
  
Hawkeye smiled. "I know I am. All that talk get you hungry?"  
  
"A little, yes," Margaret smiled. "You want something?"  
  
Hawkeye thought about that. Maybe he'd better pass on that. He wasn't hungry and he certainly didn't need the food. "No. I'll just take a beer. Anymore left?"  
  
"Yep." Margaret said as he walked passed her. She looked at Lorraine and noticed what her friend's eyes were focused on. "Hey, he's mine."  
  
"I was just looking. No touching, I promise."  
  
Margaret raised an eyebrow and grinned, "You better not."  
  
"Don't worry, I have no intentions," she smiled fiendishly.  
  
Hawkeye walked out of the kitchen with a beer then and took a seat next beside his fiancé. Possessively Margaret put a hand on his knee and smiled at her friend. Hawkeye looked at the two women, they were smiling at each other and it was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable. What they were smiling at exactly, he hadn't the faintest clue. "So," he said, the silence was nerve racking. "What are you two talking about now."  
  
Margaret turned and looked at him, "Men."  
  
"Ah ha," Hawkeye said uncomfortably. "Well then, maybe I'd just better leave you two alone then." He moved to stand up.  
  
"You don't have to go," Lorraine told him. "We don't mind."  
  
"No, I insist," he said nervously as he quickly walked back to his room.  
  
"That's okay," Lorraine said softly as she watched him. "The view from behind is just as good."  
  
"Lorraine!" Margaret's eyes widened.

"What? I know you were looking at the same thing."  
  
"But still..."  
  
"I told you I wouldn't touch."  
  
Margaret smiled. "Good. So, tell me what you've been up to."  
  
"Why? What you've been up to has been much more interesting, I assure you."  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter. I want to hear about you."  
  
The two women sat and talked for a while about old times and future plans. They were both on different paths now, but they were still the same girls who melted down their father's medals to make earrings. It was nice for Margaret to be reminded of the good times when she was growing up. Sometimes, especially with what happened when she and Hawkeye went to South Carolina to meet her family, it was easy to forget.  
  
Hawkeye ended up staying in the bedroom all alone. He didn't mean it to be rude, it was just all that he could do. He wished they had a TV in there, but the only one was in the living room. Maybe after a little while he would go back out there and try to watch since the two women were now at the dining table rather than in the living room. But for now he would try to read that book that he had.  
  
He didn't get very far into the book when his eyes started to feel heavy and weighed down. Maybe that coffee wasn't working. Soon he fell asleep with the book on his chest, on arm hung over the side of the bed, and the lamp still on.   
  
It was over two hours later when Margaret and Lorraine even noticed that he had been gone for any length of time. Lorraine asked if he was avoiding them because of her, but Margaret told her not to worry. She rarely got to see her friend and she didn't want to kick her out. Hawkeye could wait a little longer. It wasn't going to kill him. Besides, he didn't tell her anything that would make her think otherwise.   
  
After hours of laughing and giggling Hawkeye woke up. He opened his eyes and looked around to make sure where he was. He didn't remember falling asleep. When he sat up the book fell to the floor and he assumed he fell asleep while he was reading. Looking at the clock he saw that it was almost 10PM. That nap was not going to do him any good. He wasn't even going to be able to go to sleep now. After stretching out his stiff muscles he made a trip to the bathroom quickly. He could still hear the two women out there laughing and enjoying each other's company.  
  
Margaret saw him walk out of the room looking like he just woke up. "Honey," she smiled. "Did you fall asleep?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Lorraine chuckled. "How were you able to do that? You must be able to sleep through anything."  
  
"Practice," he answered. "Can I get you anything?" He asked as he headed to the kitchen.  
  
"I'm all set."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"Suit yourselves."  
  
Hawkeye looked around the kitchen, he knew he wanted something, but he just didn't know what. He thought about having another cup of coffee, but that was the last thing he needed. Opting for a beer instead, he pulled one out of the refrigerator and popped off the top.  
  
"Baby," Margaret put her hand on his hip as he walked by. He had been on his way to watch some TV when she stopped him "Do we have anything planned for tomorrow?" She asked as she patted him lightly.  
  
Hawkeye didn't like where this question was going, he had been hoping to spend the whole day with Margaret. He lived for the weekends when it was just the two of them. "No, none that I can think of." He told her.  
  
Margaret smiled, "Good."   
  
"Why?" Hawkeye asked when he saw the two women exchange a pleased look.  
  
"We might decide to do something tomorrow," Margaret told him. "Nothing's set in stone yet."  
  
"Oh." Hawkeye tried to not to look too disappointed. He only got to spend two days a week with Margaret, and now he wasn't even going to get that. Either she was going to go off and leave him stuck in the apartment again or drag him along with them. It really didn't matter what they did anyways, either way he was going to end up spending the day alone.  
  
"You're okay with that?" She asked.  
  
"I'm fine." Why did she even bother? What could he say? If he said no that would start a fight and that wasn't the one he wanted to fight on. He had another one in mind for later.   
  
"Good," Margaret smiled. "What are you doing?"  
  
He gestured over to the TV with a nod of the head. "Find something to watch."  
  
"Oh. Okay." She tugged on his sleeve to get him to bend down and then gave him a kiss.   
  
"Awww," Lorraine said. "Isn't that sweet!" Hawkeye gave her a fake smiled, and then escaped to the living room. She looked at Margaret. "Is he okay?"  
  
"Yes. Why?" Margaret had noticed that he was being a little cool.   
  
"He just doesn't seem like the person I heard about or the person you're telling me about."  
  
"Oh." What was she going to say? She wasn't about to let their person lives out into the open. What went on within those walls stayed there. It wasn't anyone's business but their own.  
  
"Hawk," Lorraine called. "Are you sure you don't want to join us. We don't bite."  
  
He had just found something on TV to watch and was getting comfortable on the couch. "I'm fine, thank you."  
  
"Okay." Lorraine looked at Margaret. "He's not the social butterfly I heard he was."  
  
Margaret was starting to take some offense to her friend. She didn't even know Hawkeye and yet she was sitting there judging him already. "I'm sure we just scared him away earlier. He hates talking about the Army."  
  
"Oh," Lorraine could understand that. She looked at her watch and stood up, "Well it's getting late, I should get going."  
  
"I'm really glad you stopped by."  
  
"Me too. It was good to see you Margaret."  
  
"Stop by any time." She stood up to walk her to the door. "We'd love to have you."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Margaret opened the door. "Call me tomorrow. Not too early. I don't normally get a chance to sleep in."  
  
Lorraine gave her friend a hug. "I will. Bye. It was nice meeting you, Hawk."  
  
Hawkeye turned and looked at the door. "Oh, you're leaving already? Well I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Lorraine smiled and then walked out the door. Margaret shut it and then locked it. She walked over to the table and started to clean it up bringing things into the kitchen where they belonged. It took her a few minutes and then she went into the living room with Hawkeye. "So, what did you think of her?"  
  
"Who? Oh, yeah. She's nice."  
  
Margaret looked at him oddly and sat down in the chair. "You know, you were a little rude tonight."  
  
"Me? Rude? Never."  
  
Margaret narrowed her eyes at his sarcasm. "She's one of my oldest and dearest friends. We grew up together."  
  
"Well good for you." He kept his eyes focused on the TV screen.  
  
"What's your problem? I've never known you to act that way."  
  
He sat up strait and looked her in the eye. "I have no problem. And if you think I was rude, why don't you take a good look at yourself."  
  
"Me?!" Margaret asked in surprised. She placed a hand on her chest, "I didn't do a damn thing, you were the one acting like an ass!"  
  
"What? Just because I didn't want to sit there and listen to you two drool over guys?"  He said angrily.  
  
"Lorraine tried several times to talk to you but you..."  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes and stood up before she could finish, "She didn't try to do shit."  
  
"How can you say that? Every time she said something to you, you'd blow her off and walk away." Margaret didn't like how lightly he was taking this. Lorraine was one of her best friends and he'd acted appallingly towards her.  
  
Hawkeye turned around and started walking away, "I should've known, you all always stick together."  
  
Margaret jumped to her feet and started to follow him. "What the hell does that mean?!"  
  
"You know damn well what that means." He walked into the bedroom and tried to shut the door before she got in.  
  
She pushed the door back. "No I don't. Do you mean women?"  
  
"Guess again." He walked to the bathroom.  
  
"Does this have to do with the army?"  
  
He turned the water on in the shower to let it get warm. "Bingo."  
  
"Damn it, Hawk! Why do you insist on blaming all of our problems on the army?"  
  
"I couldn't imagine why." He took his shirt off and tossed it in the hamper.   
  
Her jaw clenched and her eyes flared. Why was everything always her fault? He wasn't perfect by any means. "You can't tell me that you're life was perfect before the army got in the picture."  
  
"It was damn close." He unzipped his pants and pulled them off.  
  
Her hand slapped her legs in anger. "It was not! And it won't be perfect after either. You're acting like a complete ass."  
  
"Then we should get along just fine."  
  
Margaret breathed sharply. "Why do you always do this? Why do you always find some way to blame everything on me?" She demanded.  
  
"Oh sure, everything that happens to us is my fault!" He yelled.   
  
"I never said that!" She said angrily.   
  
"You didn't have to, I know how you really feel," he told her. "If I wasn't here your life would be a whole lot easier."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?!"  
  
Hawkeye knew she'd never understand. She'd just tell him he was being stupid. "Why don't you just go after your friend," he told her. Hawkeye took off his boxers and threw them across the room as he got into the shower.  
  
It took everything she had not to tear that curtain down and then him next. Maybe it would be better if she just left the room for now. She walked over and flushed the toilet and then stomped out of the room. "There, you bastard. Enjoy the hot water," she said to herself as she walked through the bedroom.  
  
Margaret busied herself in the kitchen. There was always something hat could be done to clean up. At least that's what she thought. When she saw it was all clean, she opened the refrigerator and started to throw out old food. She needed something to do and something to take her anger out on before she tore Hawkeye to shreds.   
  
Hawkeye put on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt and then went to the kitchen. Margaret was in there throwing things around. He avoided her target area and grabbed himself a cup of water. Then he started to walk away. "Wait just a minute!" She demanded. "You can't just forget about this!"  
  
"No shit. So, why don't we fight? That's what we always seem to do anyway. And what's the reason for most of our fighting?"  
  
"That you're a jack ass!"  
  
"Of course that's how you see it." He walked into the living room.  
  
She followed him. "Don't walk away from me!   
  
"Isn't that what you want?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"You want me to get out of here and make everything better for you. It would fix all your problems."  
  
She stood with her hands on her hips, shoulder's squared. "Oh? Because I was under the impression that I was the one that caused all of our problems."  
  
"It's your army that does. Even tonight."  
  
"You know what Hawkeye? The army has been my entire life. I grew up in it, I joined. What the hell do you expect from me?"  
  
Hawkeye set his water down on the coffee table and took seat on the couch. He rubbed a hand over his jaw and then bowed his head and scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know anymore," he sighed.   
  
Margaret was getting frustrated. "What do you mean you don't know? You stood there and verbally attacked me and then you..."  
  
Before Margaret could finish Hawkeye was on his feet. "How dare you," he said coldly. "You know what you are? You're a goddamned hypocrite!"  
  
"You bastard!" She spat.   
  
Hawkeye shot her nasty look and then moved away from her. "You know something, you keep telling me that I'm more important then the Army, but sometimes I don't think you really mean that."  
  
Margaret's jaw was clenched shut; she was trying her hardest not to explode. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I...I...can't believe you," she said through gritted teeth.  
  
"But that's what it is isn't it?" He asked her. "I don't fit in with your friends, your lifestyle, or your family."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You know damn well what I'm talking about," he said painfully as he moved even further away from her. "If it wasn't for me you wouldn't be having problems with your family, you wouldn't have to doubt their love for you or whether your parents would consider coming to your wedding. You wouldn't have to worry about what your friends thought of you, you were one of them, you fit in. Face it Margaret, you're scared to death of marrying me."  
  
It would have been so easy to admit what he wanted her to, even though it was a bold faced lie. At least it would have shocked him. "You want me to be scared! You want to blame any and all problems on me. It's a lot easier than accepting the responsibility."  
  
"I'm not saying that. You may love me, and I know you do, but do I fit in to your plan?"  
  
"My plan?"  
  
"Yes. Am I what you want? Do you want me to part of your life?"  
  
"Yes! What a stupid question."  
  
"Do you want me because I want you or do want me because you really love me."  
  
She looked into his eyes seeing some of his insecurities for the first. "I don't understand why you even have to ask."  
  
"That's part of the problem." He walked away.  
  
Margaret stood there trying to figure out what he meant. Of course she wanted him. She loved him. Was she still pushing him away? She didn't see how. "Hawkeye, wait. Please don't walk away."  
  
"I'll be right back," he called.   
  
Margaret sat down in the chair and placed her head in her hands. They had been getting along so well and had a wonderful day together. What happened? Lorraine was what happened, but she hadn't done anything wrong. She wasn't mean or rude. Margaret tried to include him in their conversation and for that matter so did Lorraine. This ran deeper than one evening. She looked up when she saw Hawkeye. "Sit down."   
  
He took a seat on the couch and grabbed his water. "Maybe I was a little rude." He decided that he would be the first to admit any mistake. At least then they could move on to working on things rather than fighting about them.  
  
"Maybe I was too." She looked into his eyes. Hawkeye didn't say anything; he just sat there starring back at her. He was at a loss for words. "Hawkeye," she reached out and touched his hand gently. "Please, talk to me."  
  
Hawkeye looked down at their hands. "Are you sure this is what you want?" He asked her finally. "Are you sure you want to put yourself through this?"  
  
"Do I want to put myself through what?"  
  
"Do you want to give it all up for me?"  
  
"Honey, you're not making any sense," she told him.  
  
"I can't compete with your past, and I'm sick of trying," he said. Margaret didn't disrupt him this time, she just sat there watching him, he was in obvious distress. "I hate sitting here all day, waiting for you to come home and then end up being pushed aside just like that. I hate feeling useless, like all I've done has just made everything so much more complicated." Hawkeye picked up her other hand and ran his thumbs across her fingers. "That's why I got angry tonight, I was jealous. All I do is sit here and wait, wait for the weekend when we can be together. That's why I came here, to be with you. When I heard that you wanted to go out and spend the day with her and not me, I felt those old feelings rise up. I felt like I was being robbed."

She looked into his blue hurting eyes with some understanding for the first time that night. "I don't mean to make you feel that way."  
  
"I know you don't, but you do. The weekend is all we have. Most of the week you push me away and I want the weekends to be ours."  
  
She nodded. How could she be so blind? He was only feeling that way because he loved her so much. "I'll call Lorraine tomorrow and tell her you and I had plans."  
  
"You already told her we didn't."  
  
"So I'll make something up." He was more important than any other person on earth. Everyone else could wait.  
  
He smiled a little. "No. You go spend some time with your friend."  
  
"But I want to be with you. Even if we went somewhere tomorrow, I wanted you to come with me."  
  
"No, honey. Go have a good time."  
  
"I don't want to leave you alone."  
  
He didn't want her to feel that way just because she was feeling bad for him. He wanted her to feel that way because she wanted to be with him, and for no other reason. "You go, just don't spend all day with her."  
  
"Are you sure?" He nodded. "Are you positive?"  
  
"Yes." He looked into her eyes and then pulled her to sit next to him on the couch. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the side of her head. "I'm sorry I blamed you for everything."  
  
"We fight too much. Are we going to be able to make it?"  
  
"I'm a hundred percent sure that we will. The beginning is always the toughest. We'll get some of our obstacles out of the way once we get married and get out of here."  
  
She nodded her head without looking up at him. Sometimes it was easier to tell him her feelings when she didn't look him in the eye. "I want you to know something. If I could leave right now, I would. I would drop everything and forget about everyone for you."  
  
He smiled. "I don't want you to do that." After a moment he spoke again. "Well maybe there are a few people." She looked up him. Hurt and uncertainty all over her face. "I'm kidding."  
  
Margaret gave him a menacing look and then laid her head on his shoulder again. "I meant every word," she told him softly. "I would do anything for you."  
  
"Hey," Hawkeye lifted her chin. "I know you would." He kissed her forehead gently.   
  
Margaret pulled away for him suddenly, "Are you sure you don't want me to cancel? If you want me to stay home I will."  
  
That was it, she had hit it right on the head. Hawkeye wanted her to want to be with him like he wanted to be with her. "No, you go ahead," he told her almost reluctantly. "I'll be fine."  
  
"If you're sure..." she watched him, waiting to see if he changed his mind.  
  
Hawkeye placed a hand on her back, "I'm sure."  
  
"All right then, as long as you're okay with it."  
  
"Margaret," she was starting to get over worked. "I'll be fine. Go have fun with your friend. I know you want to."  
  
Margaret beamed at him and kissed his cheek, "Thanks honey."  
  
"Sure." He couldn't help but smile at her smile. That was a huge weakness he had. Whenever she was happy he couldn't be mad, and whenever she cried, he couldn't be mad. It was a lose, lose situation for him, but what could he do? His goal was to make her happy.   
  
After a few minutes of silence Margaret spoke up again. "I'm not even tired."  
  
"That's because you were drinking coffee."  
  
"I never should have done that."  
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Anything," she sighed leaning against him.  
  
"Why is it that you were more than happy to drink coffee with your friend, but not with me?"  
  
She hadn't thought of it like that. There was a lot she hadn't thought of lately. "What?" She was stalling for time now.  
  
He pulled her off of him so she was sitting up and he could look at her. "I know you heard me."  
  
"I...I don't know."  
  
"So you were willing to stay up late with her and not me?" He asked her quickly.  
  
"Well," she considered what he was asking. "Yes."  
  
"But why?" He didn't understand that. "Why couldn't you stay up with me and not her?"  
  
"I haven't seen Lorraine for a long time, I didn't mind staying up later than normal so we could talk."  
  
"And yet you don't want to stay up and to talk to me?"  
  
"Hawkeye, we don't exactly talk when we stay up," she told him.   
  
"Well that doesn't mean we can't."  
  
"Honey, I know how you are, how we both are. Once you're satisfied, talking is the last thing you want to do."  
  
He looked into her eyes wondering where that came from. It sounded vaguely familiar to him. Then he remembered. She had told him before that everything he did always seemed to lead to sex and that was his goal. But that wasn't the case. "I still don't understand. I was so angry when I saw you sitting here drinking a cup of coffee."  
  
"I didn't do it to make you mad."  
  
"We had such a good day today and look how it ended."  
  
"Its not over yet."  
  
"It may as well be," he sighed. "I don't know what you want from me, Margaret. I do know that I'm not here just for your amusement and to use when its convenient for you."  
  
"Do you really think I use you?"  
  
"No." That wasn't a hard question. "I do think you don't show it sometimes."  
  
"Neither do you, Hawkeye. How do you think I feel when everything you do leads to sex? That's all any man ever wanted from me."  
  
"That's not true with me."  
  
"Yes, but both times this week that you made an extra effort to spend time with me we ended up having sex, and I know you were expecting the same tonight. That's the real reason you were so mad about Lorraine coming."  
  
Okay, so that did have something to do with it, but that wasn't everything. She had been grinding on his lap. Of course he was aroused. "I want to be with you all the time. I know that if I can get you in bed that you won't go anywhere. You'll be right there and let me hold you all night. I feel like I'm in a competition with everyone and everything for you. Like I have to fight for you."  
  
"And you don't want to fight for me?"  
  
"No, I don't," he told her honestly. "I'm here because I want to be with you, and I thought you wanted to be with me."  
  
"I told you that you're the most important thing to me, what more do you want?" She asked almost curtly.  
  
"I shouldn't have to fight for your affection, that's the thing. Have you noticed that every time we have sex I have to initiate it?"  
  
"That's not true and you know it."  
  
"Yes it is Margaret. You just sat there and told me not two minutes ago."  
  
"You told me that you were happy because we never talk..."  
  
"And then you complained that everything I do leads to sex. I don't hear you complaining, I don't see you pushing me away...I can't help it if I find you exciting and I want to be with you all the time. You must know by now that I'm not screwing you for the hell of it." Hawkeye suddenly stood up.  
  
Margaret stood up. He wasn't the only one that was mad. "Do you know what you want?!"  
  
"Yes! Damn it! I want you."  
  
"When do you want me? Every minute of everyday? Because I can't give you that. I love you, but I will not lose myself in you. You knew I was independent when you asked me to marry you. Yes, I love the affection you show me and how you always tell me that you love me, but I do have another part of my life that doesn't have anything to do with you."  
  
"Why the hell is that?"  
  
"Because, damn it! It was there before you were. Those friends, my family, my work, they were all part of my life before you came in and I can't just let them go."  
  
"You just said you would."  
  
"And you said you wouldn't ask me to."  
  
"And I wouldn't!"  
  
"Hawkeye, what do you want? I'm almost thirty years old. I come with baggage. Not as much as some, but I did live a life without you once."  
  
"And you want to again."  
  
"NO! "  
  
"Why can't you make me a part of that part of your life?"  
  
"My work? That's over in a few weeks, and you never wanted anything to do with it. Why do you think I come home and don't say anything about my day? My family, God knows you want nothing to do with them. And then there are my friends. If tonight was any indication of that, you won't want anything to do with them either." Hawkeye couldn't speak, he was afraid if he opened his mouth he'd say something he'd regret. With a few throwing glances he turned around and calmly walked away. "Now where are you going?" She called after him.   
  
"I need a drink," he said as he continued walking.  
  
Margaret was hot on his heels the whole way. When he turned around she was standing right behind him. "Come on, let me have it." She knew he wanted to say something really pitied.  
  
"You don't think I tried? It's not my fault they don't like me."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Your family, your friends..."  
  
"You didn't even try with Lorraine."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said sarcastically as he turned his back to her again. "It was stupid of me to let you and your friend talk."  
  
"You could have joined us, we both asked you to."  
  
"So you could do what?!" He suddenly erupted. "Talk about the Army and boys?"  
  
"Lorraine is my best friend; I wanted you two to get to know each other."  
  
"Yeah, yeah."  
  
Her jaw clenched tight and her nostrils flared. "I have very few people that mean anything to me in my life. You know that about me! Why couldn't you make an effort to get to know her?"  
  
"Maybe I didn't want to."  
  
"What?!" She screamed. "You're being such an asshole tonight."  
  
"Fine, and you're being a bitch." He said flatly without remorse.  
  
She placed her hands on his chest and shoved him. Then walked away. "Don't talk to me!"  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes and got himself that drink. They were both getting carried away now and saying things that they didn't mean. He was bad about that. He had a big mouth. After a few minutes he began to cool off some. "Margaret," he called as he walked out of the kitchen. She wasn't in the living room. "Margaret." Still no answer. He walked into the bedroom and that's when he heard the water running in the bathroom. He knocked on the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. "Margaret, let me in."  
  
"Go away!"  
  
"I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"I told you not to talk to me!"  
  
He sighed and left her alone. She needed some time to cool down too. She was a lot more fragile than she liked to think. He'd have to find a way to fix things. How could he make her understand where he was coming from. Her life was full at the moment. She wasn't missing anything. Her days were full and she got to come home to someone that loved her very much. All he could do was wait for that person that he loved to walk through the door every night. Things needed to change because it was driving him crazy and hurting their relationship.  
  
Hawkeye picked up his pants off the floor and pulled them on. He knew that as soon as she got out of the bathroom they were going to start yelling again. Yelling was just something he couldn't handle at the moment. He'd already said some pretty regretful things, he didn't need to say anything else. Hawkeye pulled out a clean shirt from his drawer and put that on along with a regular button down shirt. He grabbed his wallet off the nightstand and walked out. They both needed some time to cool down and the only way they would be able to do that is if they were apart for a while. Seeing as Margaret didn't want to be around him anyway, that shouldn't have been too difficult.  
  
He didn't know where he was going; he just knew he needed to get away. Sometimes he didn't understand Margaret at all. He had moved to Virginia to be with her, yet there were times when she didn't seem to appreciate it. They didn't see each other at all during the week, Margaret was always too busy to pay attention to him. The two days that she was free all he wanted to do was spend it with her. What was so wrong with wanting to hold her and lie next to her? What was so bad about wanting to be with her and make love to her? In all his life, that included being with Margaret, he'd never met a woman who didn't want to be touched and held.

Margaret stepped out of the bathroom wrapped him a towel fully expecting Hawkeye to be there ready to fight with her. She was a little confused when she didn't see him, but she didn't go look for him. She grabbed a pair of pajamas and got into them, washed her face, brushed her hair, and cleaned up the bedroom and bathroom. Still there was no sign of Hawkeye. She had calmed down and decided it was time to go look for him. It was time to clear the air a little bit.  
  
She walked out into the living room and he wasn't there. He had to be in the kitchen. There place wasn't big at all. Much to her surprise he wasn't there either. She stood there looking around for a moment under it finally hit her that he wasn't there. For a minute she was angry that he would leave, but then she remember what she had said to him. Why would he possibly stay around when she said that to him?  
  
There wasn't anything she could do. She didn't have anyone to call to see if he was there. He didn't have anywhere to go that she knew of. Taking a look around at the crowed apartment she decided that the best thing she could do was watch TV. She shut the lights off and curled up on the couch with a blanket watching some old movie. She couldn't sleep; all she could do was wait for Hawkeye. Not knowing where he was or if he was safe would prevent her from any sleep. She got as comfortable as she could and stared blankly at the TV in front of her.  
  
Margaret drifted for a while, but she never fell asleep. She couldn't go to bed without knowing he was home, deep down inside she knew he was fine, but she couldn't go to bed without knowing for sure. It was probably around two o'clock when she heard the faintly clicking of the door unlocking. She sat up when the door opened and pretended to watch the screen as he walked quietly into the room. Margaret listened as he set his keys on the table and slip off his shoes. When the light switched on in the kitchen Margaret turned off the TV and got up

When she walked into the kitchen he was standing with his back to her as he drank down a glass of water. From what she saw he didn't look drunk, then again alcohol didn't inhibit him as much as it did to some others. "Where did you go?" She asked him softly.  
  
Hawkeye didn't turn around; instead he sat his glass down on the counter and ran a hand through his hair. "I went for a walk," he said in an equally low voice.  
  
Margaret wasn't exactly sure what to say, he wouldn't even look at her. "Oh," she said. "Well, I'm glad you made it back safely."  
  
Hawkeye glanced at her, "I thought you would have been in bed by now."  
  
Margaret shook her head, "I couldn't sleep leaving it left of like we did."

"Oh." He looked down at the floor.

"So, you're okay?"

He nodded and looked down at the floor. Then he looked up. "Are you?" They both knew he wasn't talking about her physical safety.

She shrugged her shoulders. "We need to talk." He nodded and waited for her. She looked at him searching for the words, but couldn't find any. Why was it so hard for her to find the words? He wouldn't start either. They were both being stubborn. Why was it so hard to say sorry? Finally Margaret took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "Want to sit down?" Inside she kicked herself. That was dumb thing to say.

"I'm fine." He folded his arms.

"Okay." Now she needed to think of something to say. "I...I..."

"What?" He wasn't very patient with her at the moment.

"I think we should sit down." Damn it, she did it again.

Hawkeye rolled his eyes and pulled out a chair, slouching in. "Go ahead."

She sat down. "Um...why did you go?"

"What?!"

She waved her hand. Another stupid question. "Never mind."

"Margaret, we're not getting anywhere." He pointed out the obvious.  
  
"I know," she sighed. Hawkeye crossed his arms and waited. Since she suddenly had something to say on her own behalf he wanted to hear it, it wasn't every day that this happened. Usually she focused on his weak points until he fell, it was nice to find her speechless for a change. For some odd reason, whenever they went their separate ways, Margaret calmed down while Hawkeye built himself up. "I...I was worried about you."  
  
"You shouldn't have worried, I'm a big boy," he told her. "Besides, I had to go."  
  
Margaret looked at the table, "I know."  
  
"Do you think we can talk without shouting this time?"  
  
"I do."

Hawkeye sat there and waited for her to continue. He wanted to give her the chance to begin things, but it didn't look like she could do that. She never had a problem starting a fight, but when it came to fixing it that was another story. "Margaret, in order to move forward we have to speak."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"So..." He paused to give her a chance to continue.  
  
She looked down at her hands as they rested on the table. "I don't know how to start."   
  
Hawkeye didn't seem to have much patience for her. It was time for her to take some blame. He was sick and tired of being the one that was always wrong. Sure, there were plenty of times that he was wrong, but that didn't mean she was always right. They had both said some things that they shouldn't have, and both done some things that they shouldn't have.   
  
"I'm sorry that I ruined our weekend."  
  
Hawkeye nodded in agreement. Maybe he was being too harsh. She didn't really ruin it, but he didn't want to tell her that just yet. "We may be able to salvage it."  
  
She nodded. "I don't even know how this all started."  
  
"There was a knock on the door," he stated.  
  
She sighed. "Don't do that. It wasn't Lorraine's fault. This has nothing to do with her. This is our problem."  
  
"You're right." He could admit that. He was starting to loose his edge. Hopefully he could keep some of his edge. More often than not he let her get away with things once the water works started. It wasn't the best thing for either of them.  
  
"It started when I stopped paying attention to you."  
  
"No! It started when you shut me out."  
  
"I didn't do that."  
  
"Margaret, think about it."  
  
She paused for a moment giving the night some thought. "I asked you to join us."  
  
"Yeah, to talk about men and old times. I don't like to hear you drooling over other men and I have nothing to do with those 'old times' that you two were talking about. You did shut me out."  
  
"I hadn't seen Lorraine in over two years, she was my best friend growing up." Margaret tried to reason with him. "I didn't do it to you out of spite, I was just excited."  
  
"Margaret, that's not the point. You know this had to do with more then just Lorraine."  
  
"Yes, I realize that, but that's when all this started."  
  
Hawkeye put his hands on the table, "You know that's not true. We've been having trouble long before this."  
  
Margaret sighed, "We just had a great time today..."  
  
"Where did it go wrong?" He was thinking the same thing.   
  
Margaret nodded; she looked at her hands again. "I was so mad..." she stammered.  "I thought you were giving me the cold shoulder because we couldn't have sex."  
  
Hawkeye shook his head, "No, I could never be mad about that."  
  
"You couldn't?"  
  
"No. I would never be angry at you over that."  
  
Margaret didn't want to admit any guilt, but she didn't have a choice in the matter this time. This issue wasn't light and something that she could pass off onto him and he would take it and let it roll off his back. This was a real problem; something complicated. "How do we fix things?"  
  
"First step is to talk about it. Get it out in the open."  
  
She nodded. "I haven't been too great to you, have I?"  
  
"I wouldn't say that you've mistreated me. Have I you?"  
  
"No." That question needed absolutely no thought. "You understand about Lorraine, don't you?"  
  
He had given that thought and had to admit that it was a little silly to get so upset over that. That was the way he portrayed it to her. This was the time to clear that up. "Margaret, I understand that she is your friend and you want to spend time with her. I guess I just got so mad because of what it represented."  
  
"What?" She asked him.  
  
"You've pushed me aside a lot lately. I will admit that I ask a lot from you because I save all my energy for you, and you use most of yours at work. But that's not everything."  
  
"I know," she sighed.  
  
"I have nothing against Lorraine, I want you to know that," he told her sincerely.   
  
"I know you don't." She really meant that, Lorraine just happened to come at an inopportune time.  
  
"And," he looked into her eyes for the first time that night. "I truly am sorry for the things I said."  
  
Margaret felt her eyes well up. She shook her head and looked at her hands again. "I said some terrible things to you..."  
  
"We both did."  
  
"Hawkeye," she whispered. "Are we going to be okay?" She was terrified of losing him.  
  
Hawkeye didn't say anything for a moment, he just sat there. There was never going to be a time when they didn't argue, that was just who they were. Their personalities clashed from time to time, but then again no one was perfect. The unusual and wonderful thing about their relationship was that they were complete opposites, yet when it came to being passionate and loving, there couldn't anyone more compatible. "I think we can be."  
  
That wasn't quite what she wanted to her. Margaret wanted him to tell her that it would be fine, that they would get over it and move on. "You think?"  
  
"We have a problem," he told her. "It's not just going to go away like that."  
  
The two of them ended up staying in the kitchen for close to two hours that night. Things were not perfect, and they never would be. Hawkeye tried to get across to her how he was feeling. What she was doing to him wasn't fair. He was there for her and only her. Margaret tried to tell him what she was going through, but there was so much. She didn't say much about what she was feeling and when she did it all came out wrong. Most of the time it came out in anger, and that's not what she wanted.   
  
As hard as both of them tried to work things through, by four o'clock that morning, they hadn't fixed everything. Margaret had agreed to try to change, but it was hard when she really didn't think what she was doing was all that bad. She had to work, she was a busy woman. Hawkeye was her first love, and she didn't see that she was taking advantage of him just because he was always there. There was going to come a day when he went back to work that he wasn't going to be there when she wanted. Maybe then she would understand.  
  
Hawkeye knew he could be a little clingy, but Margaret was all he had to hold onto. Maybe he was holding her too tight, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he didn't want to let her go. Whatever their troubles were they would work through them or die trying. All they could do that night was agree to try. Nothing could be done at 4AM.  
  
The phone rang at eight o'clock the next morning. Hawkeye pulled the covers up over his head and groaned. It was probably Lorraine calling to talk to Margaret about their plans for the day. Why the hell did she have to call so goddamn early in the morning? He felt Margaret shift beside him and pick up the phone. Hawkeye tried not to listen, he didn't want to listen. Of course he had told Margaret to go, but he couldn't help feeling resentment towards her for actually going. They were having problems and she wanted to go shopping. It looked like Hawkeye was looking forward to another day alone.

Please review.  Will she leave him alone again?  Is he making a bigger deal out of things than he should?  What do you think?


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

There wasn't anything Margaret wanted to do less than get out of bed. Four hours of tossing and turning wasn't enough sleep for her to run on that day. She didn't see how she had a choice though. She told Lorraine that she would go. She couldn't back out on that. That was the last thing she needed to get around. Her family would hear that she'd been ditching life long friends for Hawkeye. She and Hawkeye had some things to fix but that could wait for later. What difference would a few hours of shopping make? He would be sleeping anyway.  
  
Margaret rolled out of bed and jumped into the shower without thinking. Everything she did that morning was routine except she didn't get into her uniform, she dressed casually to go get some breakfast and go shopping. She tried her best to do her makeup so she didn't look so tired, but she knew that attempt would fail.   
  
"Hawk," she whispered. "Hawkeye," she said a little louder.  
  
"Mmm," he mumbled.  
  
"I'm leaving."  
  
"Bye." He kept his head buried under the pillow. Margaret was hoping for a little more than that, but she didn't get it so she started to walk away. When Hawkeye heard the bedroom door open he rolled over. "Wait."  
  
She smiled to herself and turned around. "Yes?"  
  
"Will you be back by lunch time?"  
  
"Um...I might."  
  
"Can you bring home some food?"  
  
She sighed and nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Bye."  
  
"Wait."  
  
She turned around and snapped, "What?!"  
  
"Kiss." She tried to hide her smile as she walked back over to the bed and gave him a soft kiss, but it didn't work very well. Hawkeye saw it, but chose not to say anything. "Bye, honey."  
  
"Bye, and don't sleep all day."  
  
"Hey, I'm tired."  
  
"Me too." She yawned as she walked out the door. She grabbed a quick cup of coffee to go and then headed out the door to meet Lorraine for breakfast.

- - - - - - -   
  
"I didn't think you were going to make it," Lorraine said they walked down the street.  
  
"What? I told you I would come didn't I?"  
  
"Yes, but wasn't so sure after last night."  
  
Margaret knew well what she was referring to; Hawkeye hadn't seemed too thrilled about their idea. "Don't worry about him; he was just in a sour mood." Margaret realized what she had said; she didn't want Lorraine to think she was the cause. She touched Lorraine's arm, "It wasn't you that got him upset."  
  
Lorraine looked at Margaret, despite her efforts she knew that she was a little beside herself. "Is everything okay?"  
  
Margaret smiled with a nod, "We're just going through an adjustment period right now."  
  
"Well, I suppose that's good considering how you're getting married."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right."  
  
"You know you can tell me anything."   
  
Margaret didn't say anything because they walked into the diner at that moment. She thought about it as they were led to their seats and settled in the booth. She knew Lorraine wouldn't judge her or say anything to anyone. Other than Hawkeye, Lorraine was the only person she ever met like that. "Things are just a mess."  
  
"I can see that. You look like hell. Were you up all night fighting?"  
  
Margaret narrowed her eyes. She really didn't appreciate being told she looked so bad. "We were not fighting." After a moment she said. "At least not all night."  
  
Lorraine chuckled. "You never could turn down a fight."  
  
"Maybe so, but I don't like fighting with Hawkeye. I want us to be happy."  
  
"You're not happy together, so you're marrying the man?"  
  
"No, you don't understand. We're happy together, but we are just having some problems." Margaret took a sip of her coffee in the hopes that she didn't have to go into more detail.  
  
"Would you like to keep me in the dark or would you like to tell me and get it out?"  
  
Margaret thought about that. She had always kept herself so guarded that she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell her friend or not. It really wasn't any of her business, but then again Lorraine wasn't asking because she wanted to know the details. She was asking because she was concerned. "I suppose I could tell you."  
  
"You suppose? Margaret, I'm your best friend."  
  
It was true that they had been best friends when they younger, and that was probably still the case now, but truthfully Margaret's best friend was Hawkeye. He was the only one whom she remotely felt comfortable talking to, especially when it came to the two of them. "It's nothing major," Margaret said. She looked into her coffee and watched the heat rise.  
  
"Margaret, I know when you're distraught. I can tell when something's wrong."  
  
Margaret shook her head, "We had an argument."  
  
"A bad one?"  
  
"We yelled...said some things neither one of us meant..." She shrugged her shoulders.  
  
Lorraine could tell that Margaret was hesitant to talk about it, she let her elbows rest on the table and leaned forward. "Did he leave?" She asked softly.  
  
Margaret shook her head and sighed. "Let's just say he was beside me when I woke up this morning." She didn't need to tell her that he left and they didn't get to bed until four.  
  
"Well, that's a good sign," Lorraine said trying to bring out a positive aspect.   
  
"Yeah, I guess."

"Margaret, you're being very vague with me.""I know. I don't really want to talk about it right now. Hawkeye and I will work it out and we'll be fine. We need to work this out on our own.""I understand. If you're having troubles, why didn't you call me and cancel? Why didn't you stay with him?"Margaret shrugged her shoulders. She really didn't know the answer to that. "He's sleeping anyway. He won't miss me.""I don't about that. He knows you're gone, whether he's asleep or not.""Lorraine, can we please change the subject?""To what? This is so interesting.""To you," Margaret stated. She was sick of talking about her life and her problems. Not it was Lorraine's turn. "So, do you have a man in your life?" Lorraine smiled. "That answers my question. Tell me about him."The two friends talked over breakfast and then went and did some shopping. Margaret didn't buy much because they were moving soon and didn't need anything else to move. Margaret parted ways with Lorraine and then made her way back to the apartment hoping that Hawkeye was still sleeping so that she could crawl back in bed, but that wasn't the case. When she opened the door he was sitting on the couch in his boxers.  
  
"Hi," she greeted him as she set her purse down.   
  
Hawkeye looked over his shoulder at her, "You're back kind of early."  
  
"I take it you just got up," she said as she walked over to join him on the couch.  
  
"My girlfriend came over and we fooled around for a while." Hawkeye popped a grape into his mouth, "You probably passed her on the stairs." Margaret didn't think that was quite so funny. Whether he was insinuating that they weren't having enough sex or that she was never there, she wasn't sure. Hawkeye saw the blank look on her face, "Margaret, it was a joke."  
  
"Well it wasn't very funny," she told him almost defensively.   
  
"Honey," Margaret was sitting on the opposite end of the couch, he moved so they were sitting closer together. "You're getting yourself worked up over nothing."  
  
"I don't like it when you say things like that, it's bad enough that my work takes up so much of my time, but now I feel like you're saying it's my fault."  
  
"No, I don't think that." He didn't understand why she was getting so upset; she'd just walked in the door for goodness sakes. "I take it that you didn't have a good time?"  
  
"Why would you think that? We had a nice time." Her tone was a little more demanding.   
  
"Well gee, I'm sorry I was here when you got home," he said as he stood up. "I don't know what I was thinking, who the hell wants to spend the day with their fiancé when they could be off drinking..." He mumbled as he walked into the bedroom.   
  
Margaret stood up and followed him. "What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Here we go again."  
  
Margaret walked into the bedroom and stood strong with her hands on her hips. "Pierce!"  
  
He turned around facing her. "Why the hell didn't you stay out? You had such a good time."  
  
"Is that what this is about?"  
  
"Once again I sat around here waiting for you and you still don't care."  
  
"You were sleeping!"  
  
"That doesn't matter. I'm awake now and you still don't want to be with me."  
  
"I never said that. Where are you coming up with this?"  
  
"Why don't you want to be with me?" He wanted to get strait to the point now. No more beating around the bush.  
  
"I do want to be with you. I want to spend every waking moment with you..."  
  
"And yet you spend very little with me."  
  
"It's not as easy as you make it sound."  
  
"Well it's not as hard as you make it either."  
  
Margaret tried to stay calm, getting angry wasn't going to make it better. "I came home to be with you, doesn't that say anything?"  
  
"Not when all you can do is find blame," he said in a softer voice. "For once I'd just like to be able to sit in the same room without fighting."  
  
"That's what we need to talk about."  
  
"How can we talk if you keep jumping down my throat everything time I open my mouth?"  
  
Margaret sighed and nodded in understanding, "I know."  
  
Hawkeye took a seat on the end of the bed. "Why did you come back?" He asked her.  
  
Margaret thought it was odd question. "Well, I just happened to realize how much I missed you."  
  
Hawkeye wasn't sure if that was her real reason. Every time they started to talk they didn't. "Are you sure you wouldn't have preferred to be out with Lorraine?"  
  
"It was nice seeing her again, but she's not the one who really matters to me."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes! Why are you so insecure about all of this? I love you more than anything. You know that."  
  
"Are you sure you came home for me?"  
  
"No, does that make you feel better. I didn't come home for you. I came home for us. I didn't want to leave you this morning, and the whole time I was gone all I wanted was to be here with you."  
  
He looked up at her and patted the bed next to him. She sat down and he took her hands. "I'm sorry I seem so clingy. You are all I have, Margaret."  
  
She sighed. "I know."  
  
"When you leave me, it's like you're telling me I don't matter."  
  
"But you do matter. You're the most important person in my life. I didn't mean to be so edgy. I haven't had much sleep and the little I did get, wasn't that great."  
  
"Do you want to go back to bed?"  
  
"I would love nothing more then to go back to bed," she told him with a yawn. "But if I fall asleep now then I won't be to fall asleep tonight."  
  
"Stay home with me tomorrow," he urged her. "Call in sick."  
  
"I can't do that; I have to go to work."  
  
"No you don't. You're running yourself ragged," he told her. "You need to sleep baby."  
  
"I'll just go to bed early tonight," she said as she stood up and untucked her shirt.  
  
Hawkeye sighed and laid back. Why couldn't she ever just take the day off? Even her weekends were stressful. "Stay home, please."  
  
"Hawkeye I told you, I can't."  
  
He sat up again. "We need to fix this, we can't just postpone it."  
  
"And I can't just take a day off of work."  
  
Hawkeye didn't know what else to do. If she didn't want to stay home and work on it with him then what were they going to do? "Fine," he sighed and crawled under the covers again.  
  
Margaret looked at him, "You're going back to bed?"  
  
"I'm cold."  
  
"Why don't you just get some clothes on?"  
  
"I don't want to."

She took a good look at him under the blanket with his head resting comfortably on the pillow. How could she resist. "Maybe I'll just set the alarm clock so I don't sleep pass three o'clock."  
  
He smiled. "Now you're talking." That was a sign of effort from her. To want to be with him even if it was taking a nap. He watched her as she undressed. She took all her clothes off except for her panties and he was waiting wide eyed for that, but it never happened. She opened one of his drawers and pulled out a t-shirt. "Ah."  
  
"What?" She smiled.   
  
"I was hoping that we could be matching."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just wearing bottoms."  
  
"Sorry." Hawkeye flipped the covers down on her side and then covered her up when she climbed in. "Ah," she sighed cuddling into the blankets. Hawkeye didn't know if she wanted to cuddle with him, but she had never really objected before. He was about to put his arm around her when she moved. "I forgot to set the alarm."  
  
"Oh." Much to his delight she laid back down closer to him and he took that as his cue to pull her closer. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her tight against him. "This is better."  
  
"Yes." She yawned. "We'll talk later. I promise."  
  
At first he didn't think that was very good to push it off even more, but then he realized that was best. If she was tired and irritable they wouldn't be able to get anywhere and all they would have done was fight. Hopefully with both of them rested, that wouldn't happen. She tended to be more relaxed after a nap and under normal circumstances she would have become clingy, but he wasn't so sure that would happen.  
  
Hawkeye didn't fall asleep. He wasn't the least bit tired. They hadn't touched at all during the night; Margaret had almost seemed not to want anything to do with him then. She had stayed on her side of the bed the whole time, lying as close to the edge as she could get. Now that she was situated in his arms, Hawkeye was feeling a little better about their circumstances. He had hoped that she would have been a little more open to his suggestion; she had no reason to feel embarrassed or ashamed. Hawkeye tried not to feel resentment toward her previous remarks, but he was having trouble swallowing them. She made it sound like making love was a bad thing, like it was something that she no longer wanted from him. It was true that he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed whenever he saw her, but that was only because he was so in love with her.  
  
Eventually Hawkeye drifted off, she was warm and the feel of her body pressed against his was comforting. The next thing he knew the alarm was ringing and the warm body pulled away from him. "No, don't get up," he begged.   
  
"I'm just turning it off," she told him as she did so.  
  
"Good," he pulled her closer to him.   
  
"Did you fall asleep?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She relaxed in his arms not thinking about anything for a moment. After waking up from a nap she had to get her bearings back. She was glad she was in his arms because she wasn't sure she would have been welcomed there had he not wrapped his arms around her. "Hawkeye."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
"I know."  
  
"If I tell you something, you won't laugh or get mad, will you?"  
  
He was a little confused. There was a big difference between getting mad and laughing. "Okay."  
  
She didn't turn in his arms to look at him, but stayed with her back to him and looked forward. "I don't know how to work on a relationship."  
  
"Why would I get mad or laugh at you? It's not something to laugh at or get angry over."  
  
"It's not?"  
  
"No. I'll be honest with you, honey. I've never loved someone enough to really work on a relationship. You're the only one. We'll just have to do it together."  
  
"How?"  
  
"We have to figure out what we want. I know what I want. What do you want?"  
  
"I want to get as far away from here as possible."  
  
Hawkeye kissed her forehead. "I know, that's what I want too."  
  
Margaret moved closer to him and hugged him, "I want to get out of here and marry you, I want to live in a house in Maine, set down roots, sleep in until nine."  
  
"Not too much longer," he told her softly. "We only have to hold out for a few more weeks."  
  
"Do you think we can make it that long?"  
  
Hawkeye moved back so he could face her, "I am not going to leave you. We argue and we yell, but I don't love you any less, and I know you don't love me any less."  
  
Margaret shook her head, "I get angry, but it doesn't affect how much I love you."  
  
"I have the feeling that everything will be so much better once we move," he said with a soft smile.  
  
"So do I."  
  
"I can't wait."  
  
"You know it won't solve all our problems, right?"  
  
"I know. It will change things though, and that's what we need right now."  
  
She smiled up at him and gave him a kiss. "I'm sorry if I make you feel like I don't want to be with you."  
  
"I'm sorry I've been so clingy to you lately."  
  
"I'd rather have that than you be distant."  
  
"Maybe we should get out of bed before we go back to sleep. I know you don't want to."  
  
"Yeah." She sat up in bed and then looked over her shoulder at him. "You know I would take the day off and spend it with you if I could, but I just can't."  
  
"It's okay," he gave her a reassuring smile. He knew that sometimes he asked a little too much of her. She did have a full time job that required a lot from her.   
  
"You know what we should do today?"  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Nothing. I'll take the phone off the hook and neither one of us will answer the door."  
  
"See, you know how to make good use of a Sunday after all." He stood up and stretched. "Oh, let's add one more thing to that."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"No changing. What we're in now is what we go to bed in."  
  
Margaret thought about it for a moment, "I'll wear this for now, but tonight I'm going to put on my pajamas."  
  
Hawkeye smiled happily, "I guess I can deal with that."  
  
"And I hope you'll at least change those," she gestured to his underwear.  
  
Hawkeye looked down, "These are my favorite pair."  
  
"You've been wearing them since yesterday."  
  
"Fine, I'll change them after I shower, later. I have one condition though."  
  
"What's that?" She asked.  
  
"You have to shower with me."  
  
She smiled. "We'll see."  
  
"Then we'll see about me changing these boxers."  
  
She rolled her eyes as she walked away. He was just trying to get her going and it almost worked. Hawkeye followed her into the bathroom. "Hey, what are you doing?"  
  
"Nothing."   
  
"Well get out."  
  
"Please," he said sarcastically. "Its nothing I haven't seen before."  
  
A moment later she stood up and washed her hands. "I'm starving. What do we have here to make for lunch?"  
  
"I have a better idea." He walked behind her as she walked toward the kitchen. "Why don't we order some pizza before we take that phone off the hook."  
  
"You know, that actually sounds good."  
  
"You make it sound like I never have any good ideas."  
  
"Very few," she grinned. She opened up the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of beer. "Here you go."  
  
"Thanks. What kind of pizza do you want?"  
  
"Doesn't matter to me. You order." She took the number off the refrigerator and handed it to him.   
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yes, just don't get garbage, or and no peppers, and no...."  
  
"You order."  
  
"No, I trust you." She gave him a kiss. "You know what I like."  
  
"Okay, but no complaining if I don't get the right thing."   
  
"Just as long as you don't get anything I don't like." Margaret took a seat on top of the counter as Hawkeye picked up the phone.  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "Anything you say."  
  
Margaret smiled and opened her beer. "But don't forget the black olives," she added. Hawkeye turned his head and glared at her teasingly.   
  
He ordered the pizza and then leaned against the counter as he drank his own beer. "Honestly," he said. "How was shopping with Lorraine?"  
  
Margaret leaned back against the cupboard. "Well it was nice," she said. "I hardly get the chance to do anything like that anymore."  
  
Hawkeye could tell she wasn't saying everything. "But..."  
  
She shrugged her shoulders and looked at his waiting expression. "But it wasn't everything I thought it would be."  
  
Hawkeye smiled sadly. "Well, it's been a while since you've seen each other."  
  
"I know, I'd just hoped..."  
  
"That it would be like old times?"  
  
Margaret nodded. "The only thing she seemed to be interested in was us."

"Us?" Hawkeye didn't sound very surprised.  
  
"You know how easy it is for people to read my emotions."   
  
Hawkeye stood up and moved between her legs, he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry you didn't have a very good time."

She gave him a sad smile. "It's not your fault. Things just weren't what I thought they would be."  
  
"That happens sometimes."  
  
"I know. Lorraine was one of the very few female friends I've had. It's nice to be able to sit and chat. There are some things that men don't understand or even care to."  
  
"Like what?" What could there possibly be concerning her that he didn't care about?  
  
"Well for starters," she smiled. "That certain time of the month..."  
  
He held his hand up. "Enough said."  
  
She chuckled. "See, I was right." She wrapped her legs around him and locked her ankles so he couldn't move.   
  
He leaned up and kissed her. "Well, maybe it was just today. Next time when you're not so emotional..."  
  
"I am not emotional!" She pointed out very firmly.  
  
He gave a little smirk. "Okay...next time when things aren't so, well, what's the word? When things aren't so troubled between us, maybe your visit with her will be better."  
  
"I don't know. We've both changed so much in the last few years. The only time we really have fun is talking about old times, and that can't really sustain a friendship. That's something you talk about with a distant cousin that you only see once a year."  
  
"I'm always here. I'll even listen to your...your...womanly problems."  
  
She laughed and gave him a kiss. "You don't have to do that. But thank you."  
  
"Maybe I should pull on some pants before the pizza gets here."  
  
"I'll answer the door."  
  
"You will not! Look at you. No wife, ah, fiancé of mine will answer the door dressed like that."  
  
She smiled brightly, "Wife, huh? I like that." He shrugged his shoulders. Aside from having the piece of paper that said they were married, they basically were married. She gave him a tender kiss and then pulled away abruptly. "I don't have any cash for the food. I spent the rest of it on breakfast."  
  
"I have some."  
  
"How is it that you always have money?"  
  
"I just do. Unlike you, I don't go around having breakfast."  
  
Margaret looked at him with curiosity. "Then explain to me why I go out for the first time in a long time and be drained, while you're always buying beer and magazines and still have plenty of cash."  
  
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow and said cheekily, "You really need to get out more."  
  
Margaret wasn't sure what he was up to. Hawkeye didn't like to talk about money and was purposely avoiding the subject. "Hawkeye..."  
  
Hawkeye smiled, "Don't you think you should get some shorts on?" He let his hand rest on her thigh.  
  
"Hawkeye..."  
  
"I don't know! I sit here all day," he suddenly blurted out.  
  
Margaret gave him a questionable glance, she wasn't really sure he was telling the truth. She leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Let me go put some pants on."  
  
Hawkeye held on to her, "I have a better idea, why don't you lose the ones you're wearing?"  
  
"Don't push it Pierce."  
  
"Pierce? Ouch."  
  
She smiled and jumped off the counter. "I'll be right back."  
  
He sighed. "Alone again."  
  
She rolled her eyes and called back. "Oh, stop your whining."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled to himself and followed behind her. "I do not whine, I'll have you know."  
  
"Yeah right." She was standing at the dresser when he walked in. "You've been whining ever since the day I first met you."  
  
"That's a bold face lie." He picked his wallet up off of his dresser and started leafing through for some money.  
  
"Sure it is, honey." She grabbed a pair of old pajama pants and slipped them on. She walked over to him and tried to get a peak into his wallet, but he pulled it away. "Are you hiding something?"  
  
"No. I don't go looking through your purse, do I?"  
  
"You can if you want to. I don't have anything to hide."  
  
He grabbed some cash and put his wallet back. "Neither do I. You're just being nosy."   
  
"I am not."  
  
He dropped a tender kiss on her lips. "Yes you are."  
  
Hawkeye walked away and she followed him. "You know I could just go in there and look in your wallet."  
  
"You won't do that."  
  
"Yes I would."  
  
"No you wouldn't." He placed the money on the coffee table and sat down.   
  
"Why wouldn't I?" She stood in front of him.  
  
He smiled and pulled her onto his lap. "Because someone taught you to respect others."  
  
"They did?"  
  
"Even though a few aspects involving your parents are highly questionable, I still think they would have demanded a little respect from their children."  
  
"You forget, I've been hanging around you for four years now."  
  
"And I've never once gone through your purse."  
  
"You've gone through my tent," she fired back.  
  
"That's different," he told her.   
  
"How so?"  
  
"Because this time we're getting married, married people respect one another."  
  
Margaret hated to admit it, but she was just so curious. "Yeah, yeah," she looked away.  
  
Hawkeye smiled, "You're just nosey, admit it."  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Yes you are!"  
  
"Well," she said. "I think we should know everything about one another."  
  
"I think some things should be left in the closet."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
He opened his mouth to speak, but caught himself. "You almost had me there. Besides, I know you just want to know because you're nosy. And for no other reason."  
  
She smiled. This wasn't one she was going to win. "Fine, but one day I'm going into your closet."  
  
"And I'll go into yours."  
  
"Deal." She gave him a kiss. She was really curious about his money now. "You know what I want to do tonight?"  
  
"Let me guess. Go through my closet?"  
  
She smiled. "That wasn't what I was going to say."  
  
"Then what were you going to say?" He pushed.  
  
"Um..."  
  
"I knew it! This is torturing you." He was loving it too.  
  
"Please," she begged.  
  
"I have nothing to tell you Margaret," he said with a chuckle.  
  
"Oh come on, tell me."  
  
"Tell you what? What is it that you want to know?" He was curious now as to why she was so persistent. Hawkeye didn't think she'd honestly come out and tell him.  
  
"I...I...I don't know." She couldn't just come out and ask him.  
  
Hawkeye knew it; she wasn't going to ask him. "Then why are we having this conversation?"  
  
Margaret clenched her jaw. Damn it, now how was she going to find out? "Because," she said. "We haven't talked much about our pasts."  
  
"I happen to think that's a good thing," he told her. "There's no point in doing it."  
  
"Well, I think we should." Margaret took a seat on the arm of the couch.  
  
"How about, we do something more constructive." He pulled her off the arm and onto him.  
  
"First of all, the pizza man will be here any moment," she said as she sat up. "And second, I don't think so."  
  
Hawkeye let her up, "You know, you're no fun."  
  
Margaret sat back and put her feet on his lap. "I'm hungry."  
  
"After?" He asked hopefully.  
  
"Then I'll be full."  
  
Hawkeye could tell she was trying to avoid the subject. "You know, I don't think we should let a little argument affect what goes on between us in bed."

"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Well, you know what I mean."  
  
"Hawk, you're not making any sense. What goes on between us is supposed to effect us in bed. My feelings are tired to our sex life. Yours should be too."  
  
"They are. But I can always get it up."  
  
She picked her foot up and slammed it back down on his lap. "You're vulgar."  
  
"Ouch. That hurt!"  
  
"Good. I can't believe you said that to me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hawkeye, we're engaged to be married. Our emotions and sex go hand and hand."  
  
"I know. Don't take everything so seriously." He moved his hand further up her leg. "I love you, and that never goes away even if we're not getting along so great."  
  
She smiled. Sometimes he knew what to say to get him out of trouble. "I'm not having sex with you right now."  
  
"Ah, come on," he pleaded.  
  
"No. Our food will be here any minute."  
  
He grinned. "We can be quick."  
  
"No." Hawkeye groaned when there was a knock at the door. "See," she smiled. "I told you."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." He stood up and started to walk to the door.  
  
"Wait, you're in your boxers."  
  
He looked down and then looked at her. She was in pants and a t-shirt. "Here," he handed her the money. "Just give it all to him."  
  
Margaret looked at the money and then back at him. "This is a ten dollar bill."  
  
"I know," he said casually. It was no big deal to him.  
  
"But the pizza and soda together only costs six," four dollars was a lot to give away.  
  
"I know," he told her.   
  
Margaret gave him a second glance and then opened the door. She accepted the pizza and paid the delivery man and then shut the door. "I can't believe you let him keep all of it," she commented as she sat down beside.  
  
"Why? It was only four dollars."  
  
"Do you know what you could buy with four dollars?" She asked him as she put the pizza box on the coffee table and opened it  
  
Hawkeye shrugged, "It's no big deal. That poor guy barely makes enough as it is." Margaret looked at him skeptically. She wanted to dig into this topic a little more, but Hawkeye started talking again. "Are you happy with the pizza? If you hadn't noticed, I didn't get anything disgusting."  
  
"Thank you," she gave him a warm smile. "And I did notice."  
  
"You know what this could really use?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Mushrooms."  
  
"Yuck," she made a face.   
  
"I should have gotten them on half then."  
  
"Next time." She leaned over the box and took a bite out of her pizza. "Mmm."  
  
He smiled. How was it that she could be sexy with grease running down her chin? He reached over with a napkin and wiped her face. "You're worse than a little kid."  
  
She smiled. "You're not much better." She pointed to his boxers where a little sauce had dripped.  
  
He wiped it off and stood up. "Want a drink?" She nodded. "I'll get some cups."  
  
"Ice too."  
  
"And ice too." When he came back she was picking up her second piece of pizza. "You hungry?"  
  
"Starved." She patted a spot on the couch so he would sit next to her. He handed her a glass. "Thanks."  
  
"You're going to choke if you keep eating that fast."  
  
"Oh, stop it." Hawkeye rolled his eyes and picked up his pizza. He took a bite, but for some reason it didn't look as good as Margaret's. She saw him looking at her oddly. "What?"  
  
Hawkeye looked from his slice to hers. "Can I have a bite of yours?"  
  
Margaret looked at him like he was crazy. "They're exactly the same."  
  
"No they're not, yours looks better than mine."  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes, "And you say I always want to eat your food."  
  
"That's because you do, but this time I want yours."  
  
Margaret shielded her slice of pizza from him. "No, this is mine."  
  
"Ah come on, you can have mine."  
  
"No."  
  
"Please, just a bite."  
  
"You take huge bites!"  
  
"Speak for yourself!" He told her. Hawkeye gave her a pleading look. "Please just one."  
  
Margaret sighed. She held out the pizza for him. "Fine, one bite." Hawkeye happily took a bite and then sat back. "Are you happy now?"  
  
"That tastes better," he pointed to her slice.  
  
"It does not."  
  
"Yes it does."  
  
"Fine," Margaret gestured for him to give her his piece. "I'll prove to you that they're the same."   
  
"Okay." He handed it over.   
  
She took a bite and smiled. "Mmm, this is better."  
  
"It is not."  
  
"Yes it is."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "You're mocking me."  
  
She laughed. "I know."  
  
He smiled at her. He loved it when she was in a teasing mood. Maybe they were moving on after all. She wanted to spend time with him and he was beginning to see that. He dreaded the next day though. Mondays always took her away and her mood changed.   
  
They sat there and finished off the pizza. Both relaxed against the couch, too full to move. Hawkeye had his hand resting on his stomach. "I ate too much."  
  
"Me too. You should have told me to stop."  
  
"You should have told me!"  
  
"Why do I have to be the responsible one all the time?" She asked.  
  
"Are you saying I'm irresponsible?"  
  
"Well...."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
She smiled and rolled over so she was resting on him slightly. "I'm just kidding with you. I love you even if you are irresponsible."  
  
"I resent that."  
  
"Well, I am the one with the job."  
  
"But yet you couldn't scrap up ten dollars for pizza?"  
  
She smiled. "So, tell me how you did it."  
  
"How I did what?" He asked.  
  
"Where did you get the money?"  
  
Hawkeye groaned, "Didn't we already go over this?"  
  
"You avoided the question," she reminded him.   
  
"You're rambling," he said as he watched the TV.  
  
"See, you're doing it again! You're avoiding the question." She suddenly sat up beside him. "Why won't you answer me?"  
  
Hawkeye groaned, "There's nothing to talk about."  
  
"I'm asking you a question."  
  
"That really isn't a question."  
  
"Yes it is," she told him. "Just tell me how you were able to do that."  
  
Hawkeye sat up a little more. "I didn't go out to breakfast and I didn't go shopping," he said as he moved closer to get his point across.   
  
Margaret was still convinced that he wasn't saying anything. "But you always have cash."  
  
"Margaret, drop it." He was getting tired of her pestering.  
  
"Okay, okay." Margaret could tell he was a little agitated. "I'm just curious."  
  
"You're just nosey."  
  
Margaret turned her back at that, "I resent that."  
  
"Well it's true, you love digging into people."  
  
"Hey!" She suddenly faced him again.  
  
Hawkeye had a wide smile across his face. "Do you have any idea how sexy you are when your nostrils flare?"  
  
"I already told you, I'm not having sex with you."  
  
"No, you said you wouldn't have sex with me then. You said you would a little later after we eat. Now it's later."  
  
"No, I'm full."  
  
"Full of shit."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"You're pestering me about something that doesn't matter at all. You're just being nosy."  
  
She gave him a pouty look. "I'm sorry. I can wait until you tell me. But make it soon."  
  
"You are such a brat." He pulled her close and gave her a kiss.  
  
"I know." She looked into his eyes. "Maybe...if you tell me..."  
  
"I'm not telling you," he smiled. "You want to know for the wrong reason."  
  
"Please." She gave him a kiss. "I'll do anything."  
  
"I said no."  
  
"Hawkeye!"  
  
"Its torture, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Good."  
  
"Please," she whined.  
  
Hawkeye kissed in an attempt to silence her. "Can't you stop talking for two minutes?"  
  
Margaret sighed, "Fine." There was no way she was going to get him to tell her.  
  
"I think we need to be talking about us instead of how much cash I have in my wallet."  
  
"I know," she nodded. "It's just that, I don't like not knowing everything about you."  
  
"Honey, there isn't anything important about me that you don't already know."  
  
"I know," she laid back and let her head rest against the arm of the couch.  
  
Hawkeye moved over her, "You need to relax."  
  
Margaret took a deep breath, "I'm relaxing."  
  
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "We're supposed to be enjoying today."  
  
"I am," she told him.  
  
Hawkeye smirked, "You're so tense."  
  
Margaret glared at him, "It's your fault."  
  
"I'm not telling you." He knew what she was doing.  
  
"Hawkeye!"  
  
Hawkeye laughed and kissed her lips. "Shut up Margaret."  
  
"Well I feel like talking," she told him.  
  
"Well I feel like doing something else," he mocked her. "But I don't get to do that either do I?"

"Is that all you think about?"  
  
"No. But the way you left me yesterday....." She started to laugh at him. "It wasn't funny. I could have hurt myself."  
  
"Oh, you could not." She smiled. Thinking about yesterday on that couch got her a little hot, but she didn't say anything about it.  
  
"It still wasn't very funny."  
  
"I'm sorry. Would you have preferred I told Lorraine to wait a few minutes because we were just about ready to have sex?"  
  
"Actually, yes I would." He looked her in the eye trying to hold a straight face.   
  
She rolled her eyes and moved off of the couch. She stood to her feet and grabbed the box of pizza and the bottle of soda. "You're the one that's a brat, not me."  
  
"Oh no. You're very much a brat." He grabbed the two cups and followed her into the kitchen. "Since we're spending all day together inside, what else could we do?"  
  
She turned around and looked at him. "Have you ever thought about just letting it happen?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, like just being together and not talking about sex. You might be surprised."  
  
"I will?"  
  
"I said maybe."  
  
"Then we'll try it. I won't say another word."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"But you can't say another word about money."  
  
Damn, now she'd backed herself into a hole. "Agreed," she said almost reluctantly.  
  
Hawkeye smiled, "Fine, then it's all settled."  
  
"Good," she said as she cleaned up.  
  
Hawkeye watched her for a moment, "What do you think we should do tonight?" He loved pushing her buttons. Margaret glared sideways to look at him. Hawkeye held up his arms innocently. "I was just asking."  
  
"Is everything off the table?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, I got it all."  
  
Margaret noticed he was watching her. "Don't you have something else you could be doing?"  
  
Hawkeye shook his head. "Nope."   
  
Whether she had realized it or not, knowing that he couldn't talk about sex but could initiate it, only made him think about it more. How in the world was he supposed to sit beside her without thinking of ways to get her to warm up to him? How could he do that without having to tell her about the money in the long run? Hawkeye was caught in a difficult position.  
  
She went about the kitchen doing what she had to do. For some odd reason, one that she couldn't figure out, she could never fully relax knowing that something in her house was out of order. Even back in Korea she was like that with her tent. It was the only thing that she could really control.   
  
"I have something you can do."  
  
"What's that?" He asked. It had to be something boring.   
  
"You can get the dirty laundry from our room and the bathroom and start it."  
  
"No."  
  
"No? Why not?"  
  
"I just don't want. I'll do it tomorrow while you're at work."  
  
"Fine, just as long as it gets done."  
  
"It will. Are you almost done?"  
  
"Yes." She wiped off her hands. "What did you have in mind?"  
  
"Well, I guess we could watch some TV. There isn't much else to do." He had had is fill of TV for a while, but as long as she was there with him, he could stand to watch a few more hours worth.  
  
"Okay. Let me take these pants off. They don't fit as well as they used to."  
  
"Because you ate a whole pizza by yourself."  
  
She turned and looked at him. "I did not!"  
  
He smiled and pushed her out of the kitchen. "Okay, so I ate half, but who's keeping score?"  
  
She rolled her eyes and turned around and walked to the bedroom. She tossed her pants in the hamper and then met him in the living room. He watched her walk to him. His t-shirt was halfway to her knees, but it looked very sexy. There was something about a woman in a man's t-shirt, and only a man's t-shirt, that he loved.   
  
"Did you find anything good on TV?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"TV," she pointed. "Did you find anything?"  
  
"Oh, not really. You want to change the channel?"  
  
"Where's the paper?" She asked.  
  
"It's over here," he leaned over and picked it up off the floor.   
  
Margaret sat beside him on the couch as he opened it up. "What do you think about that one?" She pointed to a movie.  
  
Hawkeye screwed his face, "No, there has to be something better."  
  
"Oh, I love that movie!" Margaret suddenly exclaimed. She looked at the clock. "It's coming on in fifteen minutes, can we watch that?"   
  
Hawkeye wasn't very interested in that one either, it was another chick movie. "I don't know."  
  
"Oh come on," she pleaded. Then with a suggestive hint of sarcasm in her voice she added, "There's even a love scene."  
  
Hawkeye gave her a bored look, "You're so funny."  
  
Margaret laughed, "Oh come on, isn't that what you wanted?"  
  
Hawkeye stood up, he had to go to the bathroom. "That's not what I meant," he stated.   
  
She shrugged her shoulders and got up and changed the channel to the one she wanted. Then she sat back down on the couch with the paper. It had been at least three days since she picked up a news paper and wanted to find out what was going on in the world outside of her and Hawkeye's life. When Hawkeye walked back into the room she had her nose buried in the paper.

"Did you find anything good?" She smiled up at him innocently. "Oh, please."

"Come on, I know you'll like it."

"How do you know I haven't seen it?"

"Well," she thought. "I guess I don't, but I love the movie."

"So you watch it."

She grabbed his hand. "Please, watch it with me."

"Margaret, I suffered through a chick flick yesterday. I don't want to do it again."

"But they're romantic."

"Yeah, for the people on screen. Not for me."

"It is for me."

"How?"

She pulled him to sit down next to her and then cuddled up to him. "Like this. I just like being with you."

He smiled. That was something he needed hear and she said all too infrequently. "Me too. I guess I can suffer through the movie."

She kissed him. "Thank you. I love you."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Shh, the movie's starting."


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Margaret walked up the stairs to their apartment feeling somewhat content. Like every day, work had been hell, but for some reason she felt unusually calm. Tonight she only carried a small bundle of papers with her. If she worked diligently, she'd be able to get them done and still have time to cuddle with Hawkeye on the couch before they went to bed. For the first time in a long time she felt pretty damn good. Things between her and Hawkeye seemed to be on the mend, they had come to an understanding and were starting to talk about their problems more and more. She knew now that she had nothing to be afraid of, they were both just a little eager to get going. Once they were finalized with the Army, things were going to be a lot better.  
  
Margaret opened the door and set her things down on the side table. She took of her purse and hat and hung them on the nearby hook. The apartment was unusually quiet; Hawkeye wasn't sitting on the couch watching TV like he usually was. She walked through the living room and around to the kitchen. It was there that she found her fiancé sitting on the dinning room table talking on the phone. He had a stack of papers in his hand and was busily shifting through them as he spoke.  
  
Hawkeye noticed her almost immediately, yet he only glanced at her and set the stack of papers down. Margaret hadn't heard enough to know what he was talking about or to who he was talking about it with, he was just getting off when she stopped right beside him.  
  
Hawkeye hung up the phone and slid off the edge of the table. He gave her quick kiss and then moved to put the stack of papers back into a large brown envelope. "Hey, I didn't hear you come in."  
  
Margaret watched him curiously. She put a hand on the table to balance herself as she scratched the back of her leg with her foot. "Well, you seemed to be pretty distracted."  
  
Hawkeye smiled widely, he seemed a little unnerved. "Oh that, that was just an acquaintance from back home."  
  
"Ah, I see," Margaret shook her head. "Everything okay?"  
  
"Oh sure," he scratched his scalp. "Just catching up."  
  
"So nothing is wrong?" She asked a little worried.  
  
"No," he smiled. He gave her another kiss. "Do you have some work tonight?"  
  
She nodded. "Not too much though." She walked into the kitchen and looked around to see a few dishes in the sink that were from Hawkeye's lunch, but nothing else. "You didn't make dinner."  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I know I told you I would, but..."  
  
She smiled and stopped him before he went any further. There was no need to tell her why. "It's okay. I can find something simple for us."  
  
"No, honey. I'll make something. I did tell you it would be done when you got home. You must be starving."  
  
"A little, yeah. But I don't think I'll waste away to nothing for having to wait a little while longer."  
  
Hawkeye glanced over at the stack of his papers on the counter and then back to Margaret. "Why don't you go change so you're more comfortable and I'll start dinner?"  
  
"That sounds great."  
  
Hawkeye hadn't paid too much attention to her, but he did notice that she was in a better mood. Just last week she had snapped his head off for not having dinner done. When he saw her round the corner and head to their bedroom he grabbed the stack of papers. Something wasn't adding up right, and it was bothering him. He'd have to set that aside for now and pick it up tomorrow.   
  
Margaret walked back into the kitchen a few minutes later and saw that Hawkeye had his head sticking in the refrigerator and nothing cooking. "Couldn't find anything?"  
  
Hawkeye hit his head when he jumped at the sound of her voice. "You scared me." He stood up rubbing his head.  
  
"Sorry," she smiled.   
  
"We don't have anything good."  
  
"Didn't you just go shopping Friday?"  
  
"Yes, but everything I bought takes a little time cook."  
  
Margaret pushed him out of the way and looked in the refrigerator herself. "Do we have a loaf of bread?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do we have some chips?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She pulled out a block of cheese. "We'll have grilled cheese then."  
  
"That's what you eat for lunch."  
  
"Says who?"  
  
"Me!"  
  
"Honey," she smiled. "That's just silly."  
  
"I've never had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner," he was somewhat stricken by the idea.   
  
"Where have you been living?" She gave him an odd look. Suddenly she realized what she'd just said, "Don't answer that."  
  
Hawkeye smiled and pulled out the bread. "I don't care," he told her. "I guess it's easy enough."  
  
"Very easy," she told him as she started slicing the cheese. Hawkeye got out the skillet and turned on the stove.   
  
He stood back and watched her for a moment. "I'm sorry I didn't make dinner."  
  
Margaret turned her head and grinned, "Its okay. I know you were having fun catching up with your friend."  
  
Hawkeye would exactly call it that, they hadn't had a very pleasant conversation. "Caught up is defiantly the word."  
  
Margaret noticed he seemed a little distant at the subject, "Are you sure everything's all right?"  
  
Hawkeye stopped staring off and realized that she had been speaking to him. "Oh sure." He moved to the refrigerator and pulled out the butter. "How was work?" He opened the silverware drawer and picked up a knife.   
  
"It was long, like normal," she sighed.  
  
Hawkeye put some butter onto the hot skillet and watched it sizzle. "It'll be over soon."  
  
"Yeah I know."  
  
He smiled at her. "Not soon enough, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
Margaret tossed some buttered bread slices onto the skillet. Hawkeye grabbed her hands once she dropped them and brought them to his mouth, kissing each of them. "You keep doing what you're doing, and I'll take care of everything in Maine so we have somewhere to call home."  
  
She smiled. "How are you going to get us a house over the phone?"  
  
"I'll figure out a way." He dropped her hands and started to put the cheese on the bread.   
  
"Okay." She stepped back and let him do the cooking. It was easier if she wasn't in the way, and he seemed to want to do it.  
  
Hawkeye didn't say much, but seemed lost in thought. Margaret grabbed some plates and poured them two glasses of milk. Unlike last week, this silence wasn't uncomfortable or awkward. "Chips."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Grab some chips."  
  
"Oh." She opened one of the few cabinets and grabbed them. "These are almost gone."  
  
"I do eat during the day, you know."  
  
She grinned. "I thought you were going to lose weight."  
  
"I decided not to. I started running again today. I went this morning."  
  
"How was it?"  
  
"It felt great. You should go with me sometime."  
  
"Are you serious?"  
  
"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" He turned and looked at her after he flipped the sandwiches.  
  
Margaret leaned against the counter, she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, you've never asked me to before."  
  
Hawkeye set the spatula down and looked at her. "I didn't know you liked to run."  
  
"Well you would have granted you'd asked me."  
  
Hawkeye went over to her and slipped his arms around her waist. "Margaret, would you like to go running with me sometime?"  
  
"When would I find the time?" She moved out of his arms and pulled a bottle of milk from the refrigerator.  
  
He rolled his eyes; there was no winning when it came to her. "Milk?" He asked when he noticed the bottle.  
  
Margaret looked at him like his face was painted bright orange. "Well what do you drink when you eat grilled cheese sandwiches?"  
  
Hawkeye shrugged, "Water, tea, beer..."  
  
Margaret screwed her face. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"That's like...eating pizza and drinking milk."  
  
"Oh it is not," she said. "How can you eat cheese and drink beer at the same time?"  
  
"There's cheese on pizza and you drink beer with that."  
  
"Yeah, but that's different."  
  
"How?" He asked.  
  
"It just is."  
  
"Well, give me a beer. I don't want any milk." He really needed to relax. After spending all afternoon on and off the phone, he was a little stressed. He grabbed the plates and placed the sandwiches on them. "All done."  
  
He sat them on the table and took his seat. "Are you sure you don't want to run with me?"  
  
"I really don't have any time, honey. I would like to though."  
  
"Okay. If you ever want to, the invitation is always open."  
  
"Thank you." She put some chips on each plate. "After dinner I need to get started on some work. If I can get it done, we'll have some time to be together before we fall asleep."  
  
"Okay." While she was doing that, maybe he would be able to take another good look at some of those papers and decide what he needed to do.   
  
Margaret noticed he seemed a little preoccupied through dinner. Normally he would have been hording her with questions and talking about their future plans, but this night it was different. He spoke to her in simple sentences while retaining a rather bleak and concentrated look on his face.   
  
"Honey?" Hawkeye had stopped eating and was sitting slouched in his chair. He had a fixed eye on the table. "Hawk?"  
  
"Hmm?" He suddenly looked up.  
  
"Honey are you feeling alright?"  
  
Truth be told, Hawkeye was feeling almost sick to his stomach. "I'm fine sweetheart."  
  
Margaret wasn't sure if she should believe him or not. "You were a little restless last night now that I come to think about it, are you sure you're not sick?"  
  
"Margaret," he stood up and picked up his plate. He walked over to her and gave her a kiss. "You know, you worry too much," he said as he picked up hers as well.  
  
Margaret followed him to the kitchen and then placed her hand on his forehead after he'd placed the dishes in the sink. "You seem a little warm," she said as she moved her hand across his face.  
  
"Of course I'm warm; it's like an oven in here." Hawkeye tolerated her as she felt his forearms and then his forehead again.  
  
Margaret gave him a skeptical look. "You're hands are clammy." She'd picked them up and was holding them in hers. "Maybe you ought to go take a bath or something."  
  
"Margaret, I feel fine." Again another lie. Ever since he'd gotten that package in the mail earlier that morning he'd felt almost light headed.

"Well, you don't seem fine."  
  
  
"I really am. I'm a doctor and I know when I'm sick. I am not sick."  
  
  
She narrowed her eyes, thinking for a moment. "Fine, but I'm keeping an eye on you."  
  
He smiled. "Deal. Now why don't you go get started on your work, and I'll get this kitchen cleaned up."  
  
She sighed. "I really should get to it."  
  
He gave her a kiss on the lips. "Yes you should."  
  
"Aren't you going to ask if I need any help?"  
  
"You always turn me down."  
  
"Well...you could still ask."  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "You're a pain in my ass, you know that?" She made her bottom lip stick out, looking up at him with a pouty face. He gave her another kiss. "When will you be done?"  
  
"An hour or two."  
  
"Okay."   
  
She turned and walked away, but hollered back to him. "You're the one that's a pain in the ass, not me."  
  
"I love you too." Hawkeye smiled to himself. It was nice to see her in a good mood again, it made him happy too. One look at the stack of papers on the counter and his mood changed. He was really hoping that he could handle things long distance, but the more he thought about that, the more impossible it seemed.   
  
He never really stopped thinking about the questions that brown envelope held. He washed the dishes and cleaned up everything, and as soon as that was done, he picked up the envelope and headed off to the bedroom. Margaret spotted him from where she was sitting at the dining table, and reached out to him when he passed. He stopped and gave her a kiss, and then continued on to his destination point. There was more privacy in there and if he needed to use the phone, he could do it without his fiancé hearing.   
  
Margaret didn't take much notice that he was up to something, and if she did she didn't care. She had her own work to think about, it was probably for the better that he was in the other room. After nearly an hour and a half Margaret was done. She put her stack of papers away and then cleared the table before going back to the bedroom to find him. When she opened the door she found Hawkeye lying on the bed with an arm draped across his face.   
  
This concerned her almost immediately, she had the feeling that something was wrong. "Honey?" Margaret sat down beside him. "Hawk, are you feeling okay?"  
  
Hawkeye moved his arm back so he could see her. "I'm fine," he said softly.  
  
Margaret wasn't sure whether to believe that or not. "Well, you don't look it."  
  
"I'm just a little tired, that's all," he moved his arm completely off.  
  
"Oh," Margaret lay down beside him. "That's too bad, I finished my work."  
  
Hawkeye turned so he could see her better. "And..."  
  
Margaret shrugged her shoulders, "And I wanted to spend some time with you." She leaned closer and kissed him softly.   
  
Hawkeye sighed; it was a fine time for her to be playful. "What's with you today? This is so, unlike you."  
  
"Watch what you say," she warned him. "This good mood isn't going to last, I assure you that." Hawkeye moved closer and kissed her again, he could take a hint.  
  
Suddenly, no sooner then he had touched the hem of her shirt, the phone rang. He sighed deeply. "Damn."

"No," she stopped him from moving. "Let it ring."

"I can't."

"What do you mean?"

He didn't answer and sat up and grabbed the phone. "Hello? Yes. Are you kidding me? Fine. Ok. Yes. I said yes! Fine. Bye."

Margaret sat up curiously. "What was that about?"

"Nothing really." He ran a hand through his hair and it came to rest on the back of his neck.

"Something is wrong. What is it?"

"Ah," he sighed. "Nothing you need to be concerned about."

"It is if you're worried."

"Its business," he stood up and walked out of the room.

Business? What was he talking about? She stood up and followed him out of the room. He was in the kitchen going through the junk drawer. "What are you looking for?" The best way to get something out of him was not to approach him directly. He would come around when he was ready.

"A phone number. It was in a little notebook."

She stood next to him and started to go through the drawer. Within a few seconds she produced the notebook he was looking for. "This?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Who are you calling?"

"An old acquaintance of mine."

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"I'll just be a few minutes." He gave her a friendly peck on the cheek and walked passed her into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Margaret stood in the kitchen; she didn't know exactly what to think. He had gotten so upset over that phone call and it bothered her that she didn't know why. Hawkeye wouldn't tell her who was on the phone or what the call was about, he was hiding something and she didn't like the fact that he was keeping her in the dark. Then again, if he was reluctant to tell her then maybe it wasn't something she needed to know.  
  
About ten minutes later Hawkeye emerged from the bedroom. Margaret was sitting on the couch on the TV when he walked up behind her. She felt his strong hands grip her shoulders and gently massage them for a moment. "Everything okay?" She asked him.  
  
Hawkeye leaned down and kissed the top of her head before moving around to sit beside her. "For the moment," she spoke softly.  
  
Margaret was going to ask him to elaborate when he leaned in and kissed her gently. "What was that for?" She asked when he pulled away.  
  
"No reason," he said and then kissed her again.  
  
"Hawkeye, are you sure you're okay?"  
  
Hawkeye nodded, "Just a little tired."   
  
"No." She didn't believe him at all. There was more, and the longer he acted like nothing was wrong, the more concerned she became.  
  
"Really," he smiled and kissed her.  
  
"No, something is wrong. Are you going to tell me what it is or let me guess?"  
  
"You can guess."  
  
"Hawkeye!" Something had to be wrong. She becoming increasing distressed and he could see it in her face and body language.  
  
"Okay." He sighed deeply and felt his heart begin to ache. Oh, how he dreaded having to tell her what he was about to. He took her hands in his own and looked into her eyes. She could feel that his palms were sweaty and began to worry even more. "I'm going to have to leave for a little while." He watched her face drop and her eyes fill with worry and fear.   
  
"Is this...because of the problems we...."  
  
"No," he stopped her form going any further. "Not at all. This has nothing to do with you and I. It's not about us."  
  
"What's it about?" She asked softly. "Why do you have to go?"  
  
"It business." Was his simple answer.  
  
That confused her even more. What was he talking about? "Business?"  
  
"Yes. There are some things I need to go take care of. Things I can't do from here."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Maine."  
  
"Oh." She didn't want him to leave, and hated being left in the dark. She trusted him, but she was still confused as to why he wasn't telling her more. "How long will you be gone?"  
  
He looked at their hands intertwined and spoke to them rather than to her. "I'm not sure. A few days, a week, maybe more."  
  
Margaret's gaze fell, "Maybe more?"  
  
Hawkeye couldn't look at her; he didn't need to see her face to tell how hurt she was. "I don't know that for sure."  
  
Margaret tried to hold back threatening tears, she didn't know if she could handle being away for him for more then a week. "When will you leave?"   
  
Hawkeye closed his eyes when he heard the pain in her voice. He hated himself for bringing this upon her. "Most likely tomorrow."  
  
"Tomorrow?" How could he leave so soon? She thought they would at least have had few days together before he left. Margaret's voice cracked, "Hawkeye..."  
  
"Oh honey," he let go of her hands and moved to hold her.  
  
Margaret wrapped her arms around him tightly. She didn't want to let go of him. "Why so long?"  
  
"I just have to go, baby. I wouldn't go if I didn't have to, you know that right?" She nodded, burying her head deeper into his neck. "I won't be gone for long."  
  
"I don't want you to go." The tears started to fall a little.  
  
He smiled. Part of him felt guilty for having to leave, but the other part of him was glad. He was glad to know that she wanted him there with her and that she was really going to miss him. "I'm sorry. I'll be back when I can."  
  
She wanted to ask him not to go, but she couldn't do that. He would never do that to her, and she had to give him the same respect. She was tempted to ask him the nature of his business, but she didn't want to spend what little time she apparently had with him focusing on that. "No more calls tonight?"  
  
"None. The rest of the night it's me and you." He rubbed her back, and then pealed her off of him, wiping the tears and mascara that was now running down her face. "Don't be so sad," he smiled, trying to get her to do the same.  
  
Margaret sighed heavily and looked at him with a longing expression. "I'm going to miss you."  
  
"I'm going to miss you too," he told her with a kiss. When he pulled back she started crying again. "Hey, there's nothing to get worked up over," he lifted her chin. "We don't even know that I'll be gone for more then a few days."  
  
"I know, but..."  
  
Hawkeye silenced her, "Everything will be fine, I'll be back before you know it."  
  
"We haven't been apart for a moment since you moved in."  
  
"Well then maybe this isn't such a bad thing, it'll give you the chance to get things in order before we leave."  
  
"I don't need you to leave, I didn't give you that impression did I, that I wanted some space? Because if I did, I didn't mean..."  
  
"Margaret, I don't think that at all," he reassured her.

"Then why do you have to go for so long?"  
  
"I'm not going because I want to. I'm going because I have to. I have some things to take care of, and maybe I'll do a couple of extra things while I'm there."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe I'll talk to a realtor and see if we can get a jump on looking for some houses for us."  
  
She looked up at him with hurt in her eyes. "Without me?" How could he do that without her? They were going to have to live in that same house for the rest of their lives. Once she was stable, she wasn't planning on moving.  
  
He was a little shocked at the look on her face. He had intended that thought to be something that was happy. Something that would change her mood, not increase her sadness. "No, no. Nothing like that. I'll just get some papers together of a few houses I think we'll like and I'll bring them back to you. I won't do anything without you."  
  
"You promise?"  
  
He smiled and nodded. "Have I ever lied to you?" She shook her head no. "And I'm not going to start now."  
  
"Good." She moved in his arms so she was sitting next to him, with his left arm wrapped securely around her, and his right hand was holding one of hers as they rested against her lap. She was going to miss those arms. "Don't let me go," she said softly.  
  
"You're mine forever."  
  
"No." That wasn't what she meant. "I mean tonight. I'm going to be without you for...well, I really don't know how long. I just want you to..."  
  
"I know," he silenced her. Listening to the hurt tone in her voice, he didn't want to hear much more. Knowing that he was hurting her was more than enough. He didn't like to hear it in her voice. "So, where would you like to live?"  
  
"What?"  
  
He wanted to change the subject now. Make her see the bright side of things. "In Maine. Where should I look?"  
  
"Well, I don't know." She had only been there one time, and that was early in their relationship. They hadn't even been engaged at the time. "You know the place better than I do."  
  
"What kind of house do you want?"  
  
As long as he was going and was willing to look at houses, she ought to give him some indication of what she wanted. "Stone."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled. "That won't be very hard to find considering half the houses in Maine are made of stone, well at least the older ones are."  
  
Margaret nodded, "That's what I want."  
  
Hawkeye kissed the top of her head, "Then that's what we're going to get. A big stone house, possibly on a couple of acres of land, with a nice view of the ocean."  
  
Margaret turned in his arms. "Acres of land with a view of the ocean?" Where did he think they were going to get the money?  
  
"Yeah," he smiled. "You cannot live in coastal Maine and not have a view of the ocean." That was just common knowledge, everyone knew that.  
  
"Hawkeye, that all sounds nice, but we don't have the kind of money for something like that."  
  
"Don't you worry about the money," he told her. "Money is not a factor when it comes to this."  
  
"Of course it is, we have to set a budget, we can't spend all of our savings on a house."  
  
"Margaret, listen to me, I'll take care of this. You don't need to worry about the cost. I am a doctor, remember?"  
  
"A doctor who's not working," she reminded him flatly.   
  
Hawkeye paid no attention to her comment, "Just please, let me worry about the money, okay?"  
  
She didn't want to be pushed away when it came to money matters. Too many women she knew nothing about how to manage money and pay bills. She already knew how and she didn't want to be treated like it wasn't any of her business. They were getting married and she had every right to know their financial status. But, for the time being she was willing to let it slide and just enjoy the time they had together. "Okay."  
  
"Good," he smiled. "Do you want to tell me more about what you want?"  
  
"What we can afford or what my dream house is?"  
  
Little did she know that they were one in the same when it came to Hawkeye. "Dream house." He'd play along. He knew that she had to have things in mind. She was one of the few people that he had met in his life that seemed to have clear picture of what they wanted from life. Margaret's problem was that she wasn't always sure how to get there. Hawkeye vowed to help her with that.  
  
She laid her head on him comfortably. "Dream house... let me think." She didn't actually have to give it much thought. She just had to remember some things. "Stone, defiantly want the stone. Since it's my dream house, I want acres and acres of land, safe land, so that our kids can play and find all kinds of adventures."  
  
He smiled. He was enjoying this very much. "What about the inside?"  
  
"Hard wood floors, crown molding, chair rail, all of that."  
  
"Sounds nice."  
  
"Yes, but not too nice."  
  
"Huh?" He asked in confusion.  
  
"I want it to feel like a home, not a museum. We'll have kids running around one day and I don't want them to feel uncomfortable or scared that they're going to break something. That's the way it always was in my houses growing up."  
  
He pulled her close and kissed her head. She didn't have the best parents in the world and that was a very sore spot for her. "What else?"  
  
"All the bedrooms upstairs. I want to be near the children, and we can't lock our bedroom door."  
  
"What if..."  
  
"Then you'll have to get up and unlock it after we're done."  
  
"Me?"  
  
She turned her head and smiled at him. "One of us will. I just don't ever want to lock our kids out. They should feel comfortable enough to come to us when they have a bad dream." She remembered times when she was a child that she would want to go to her parents after a bad dream, or even if she couldn't sleep. She was scared to do that because she would get yelled at and sent back to bed alone. When she was scared, the last thing she wanted to do was be alone.  
  
"Your dream home seems to revolve around kids, honey."  
  
"Yes, well why else would we have a big house?"  
  
Hawkeye thought that was an odd question. He would have just assumed that she wanted a big house even if they weren't going to have kids. "There's no reason why we shouldn't, even if we weren't going to have kids."  
  
"If we weren't going to have kids then we certainly wouldn't need a big house," she told him.  
  
"I would have thought that despite all of that you would have."  
  
"Not if it was just going to be you and me."  
  
Hawkeye nodded, that made sense. Maybe it was just because he was claustrophobic that he liked a lot of space. "Is there anything else I should keep my eye open for?"  
  
"Why don't you just start with that and then we'll go from there."  
  
"Sounds like a plan." Hawkeye kissed her head again. They sat in silence for a while, both thinking about how it was going to be when he left. After a few moments he said, "I'll call twice a day."  
  
Margaret smiled and turned in his arms so she could hug him to her. "Can we just spend the rest of the night like this?"  
  
Hawkeye rubbed her back soothingly, "I couldn't think of any other way."  
  
After a moment of thinking Margaret sat up, "Would you like to take a bath with me?"  
  
Hawkeye smiled lovingly, "Of course." He kissed her softly on the lips and then followed her to the bathroom.  
  
"Would you get some towels in the linen closet?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah." He grabbed some and then set them down on the counter and watched her. She turned on the water and waited for it to get to the temperature that she was looking for before she put the plug in the tub. He started to watch her movements; the way her hands moved when she turned the knob, the way her body stretched, the way her hair fell on her shoulders. He was starting to realize just how much he was going to miss her.   
  
When she stood up he picked up her hand and pulled her in for a hug. She was confused, but she melted into him all the same. He was holding her awfully tight and she began to worry. "Are you okay?"  
  
He didn't let go, but breathed in her scent deeply. "You smell good."  
  
She smiled and knew what he was doing. It felt good to know that she was going to be missed. "Bubbles?"  
  
"What?" He chuckled.   
  
She pulled out of his embrace. "Should we have bubbles?"  
  
"Oh, sure."  
  
Margaret grabbed some while he watched her. She would have love to stay in his arms like that, but it was making her sad. She didn't want to start crying. "Well, are you going to take your clothes off?"  
  
Hawkeye looked at her for a moment before realizing what she had actually said. "Oh, right," he nodded and untucked his undershirt. Margaret stopped what she was doing and watched him as he undressed. She'd watched him do it so many times before, but for some reason she couldn't tear her eyes away from him this time. Hawkeye took off his socks and then his shirt and dropped them on floor. He was in the midst of unbuckling his belt when he noticed she was staring at him. "Aren't you going to get undressed too?"  
  
Margaret collected her self and looked away from him. "Yes," she said as she looked at the floor. She didn't want him to see that she had gotten a little teary.   
  
Hawkeye was undressed and in the tub before she was finished. He sat in the warm water and watched as she finished undressing. When she was done, he held out his hand and helped her into the water. Margaret sat down in front of him and leaned against his chest as Hawkeye wrapped his arms tightly around her.   
  
"You feel nice," he said. "I was beginning to think we only took baths together when we were on vacation."  
  
She smiled. "We haven't exactly been getting along that well lately."  
  
"Sure we have." She turned her head and looked up at him. "Okay, so maybe we haven't." He kissed her before she turned her head back and rested it against him. "We are now. We're working on things, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
They sat in silence for a while just being together. With one hand Hawkeye was playing with her hair and with the other, he was just letting her hold it. She was mindlessly caressing his hand and playing with it. She would really like to see a ring on that hand. He was going away without her and she was a little nervous about that. Hawkeye had never been short of admirers and she didn't like the thought of other women making the mistake that he was single. He was very much taken.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked. Her new found obsession with his hand was a little odd.  
  
"Fine." She didn't want to tell him that her heart was breaking at the thought of losing him, so she would just say she was fine.   
  
"I know you, and fine doesn't mean fine. It means your holding something back."  
  
"Yes, something that I don't want to talk about."  
  
"Ah." Point taken." There wasn't going to be any fighting tonight. He didn't want to have to leave on bad terms. He would have taken her along if he could, but with the army that wasn't an option.   
  
Hawkeye stopped playing with her hair and wrapped his arms tightly around her. He was pretty sure that he knew what was bothering her. Hawkeye pulled her closer and buried his face in her neck. "Don't be mad with me."  
  
Margaret closed her eyes, she wasn't mad at him, she was sad that he was leaving. "I'm not mad at you," she told him sorrowfully. He wasn't running away from her, he was going because he had to.  
  
"I love you," he said earnestly. "I love you so much." He kissed her neck and nuzzled her softly.  
  
"I love you too," she told him.  
  
"I'd take you with me if I could, you know that don't you?"  
  
Margaret nodded. "I know you would."  
  
"I'll call you two, three, four times a day. It'll be as if I never left," he said almost desperately. He knew she was hurting, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.  
  
Margaret knew he was only trying to comfort her, but even if he did call her a dozen times a day; a phone call wouldn't be able to replace him. Work wasn't going to be so bad, but from the moment she got home she'd be reminded that he was gone and she was all alone. At night, she'd lie awake in bed, not being able to sleep because he wasn't there beside her.   
  
Hawkeye could feel how tightly she was squeezing his arm; he knew what she was thinking about. "I'll come back to you as soon as I can," he told her.   
  
"Just hold me," she whispered. She didn't want to think about tomorrow anymore. She just wanted to be in the moment with him.  
  
He kissed the side of her head once again and held her tightly. "Okay." Hawkeye sat there in silence, but he didn't like it. He didn't like leaving things unsaid or letting her keep her feelings to herself. Hawkeye had never understood why she kept things so closely guarded. When he felt her body start to shake he moved so he could see her face better. "Oh, don't cry."  
  
As much as Margaret wanted to believe that she could keep everything inside, it never worked out that way. Maybe if she had had time to prepare knowing he was going to go away. Maybe if she wasn't so lonely there in Virginia things would be different. All they had was each other. "I'm not crying."  
  
Hawkeye wiped a tear off of her cheek. "What's this?"  
  
"Water."  
  
"You're not alone, you know that? I'm still here."  
  
"I know."  
  
"No more crying." He held her close. "Okay?"  
  
"Okay. Maybe it will be fun."  
  
"What?!" What was he thinking?  
  
"We'll be like a couple of teenagers. Our parents won't let us see each other, so we spend all night on the phone." He saw her crack a smile. "That's it. That's what I want to see."  
  
"I'll be able to read that book I started when we were on vacation."  
  
"Yes, and you can get your work done without interruptions."  
  
"That's true. You are a pain when it comes to that."  
  
Hawkeye chucked. "There are good things to this. I'll come back with some houses we can look at. I know you'll like that."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Those big houses."  
  
"Bring me details on each of them."  
  
"You know I will," Hawkeye smiled. "I wouldn't dare come home without them."  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Margaret turned around so she could hug him. "I'd rather you came home without them then not come home at all."  
  
"I know you would," he kissed the side of her head. Margaret sat up and moved to straddle his lap.

She hugged him again, but this time tighter. Hawkeye sat back against the back of the tub and held her to him. "It's been a long time since we've done this," he said to her.  
  
Margaret kissed his neck and let her face rest on his shoulder. "And the moment you get home, we're going to do it again."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled at that, "I'm going to hold you to that."  
  
Margaret sat up and looked him in the eye before kissing him lovingly and tenderly. "Not if I hold you to it first."

Hawkeye enjoyed the extra attention he was getting. Maybe he should go away more often. He didn't dare say that out loud right now for fear that Margaret would break into tears. "Let's get out of the tub."  
  
"No." Her lips went back to his neck.  
  
His arousal was building as he sat there with his hands around her naked back. The front of her body was pressed against his and she was sitting on his lap. She could also feel his arousal building. "Ah...honey." He tried to stop her.  
  
Why did he want to talk? She didn't want to get out yet. She just wanted to be with him for the moment. "Shh."  
  
Hawkeye swallowed hard and gave up on his fight to get out of the tub. There was no hurry. No sooner had he decided that and the kisses stopped. Margaret looked into his eyes, but didn't say anything. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Are you flying?"  
  
He was utterly confused now. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"How are you getting to Maine?"  
  
"Oh." Now he understood. "I'm driving my car."  
  
"You better be careful."  
  
"I will," he smiled. Before he had moved in with her, he had made that long trip many times to see her from Maine.  
  
"Good." She smiled and moved in to kiss him again. Her fingers played with the hair on the back of his head as his hands held her back and pushed her as close to him as he could. Their wet bodies were pretty close to being one when Margaret stopped. "Time to get out."  
  
"Now? We're not done. We haven't even started."  
  
"I know. The water's getting cold." How could she tell? She seemed pretty warm to him. She stood up and climbed out of the tub grabbing his hand to pull him up. She grinned as she watched his naked body emerge from the bubbles. He was all hers and she was going to make sure that he remembered that.   
  
Margaret stood beside the bed and watched him while she tucked in her shirt. He was packing his suitcase; he was getting ready to leave her. Margaret knew she shouldn't have thought about it like that, he wasn't leaving her; he was going home for a few days. If things worked out well, he could be back in a matter of days, she had to think positive.   
  
Hawkeye noticed she was staring at him. He turned his head and watched her, she had an almost week look on her face. "Hey," he stopped what he was doing and walked over to her. "It's going to be okay." He put his arms around her and let her rest her head on his chest. Hawkeye rubbed her back in a comforting fashion.  
  
"I'm okay," she said. She was reassuring herself more than him.  
  
"I'll call you right when I get there," he told her.  
  
Margaret sighed, she didn't want a phone call, she wanted him. "And you'll call me tonight?"  
  
"And I won't get off the phone until you're begging me to hang up," he told her.  
  
"Until my eyes are drooping and I can no longer speak coherently?"  
  
Hawkeye smiled, "Of course I will."  
  
She sighed deeply leaving her head on his chest. "I don't like this."  
  
"Honey, things will be fine."  
  
"I know." Part of her knew everything would be okay, but part of her was hurting too much to believe that.  
  
He kissed her head and then let go of her. "I have to finish packing."  
  
Margaret nodded and stepped back watching him. "Do you have plenty of underwear?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Socks?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Did you grab your tooth brush and your razor?"  
  
He held them both up. "I have everything that I need."  
  
"Okay." She sighed again and watched him. She could feel the tears forming already. They were leaving in three weeks, together. Why couldn't this wait?  
  
"Will you hand me that?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That shirt."  
  
Margaret looked at the shirt that was hanging on the door knob and gave it to him. "This is a little dressy for you, isn't it?"  
  
"Just in case." He rolled the shirt in a ball and tossed it in.  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes and took the shirt back out. "Why don't you hand me what you want, and I'll pack it."  
  
"Thank you," he smiled. He was horrible about that sort of thing. He didn't want to ask her to help him leave. He knew that she was having a hard time with the idea. With Margaret, leaving for a few days was like leaving for good. She was very emotional about it.  
  
Margaret noticed he'd packed his black suit, his nice suit. She didn't say anything either when she noticed the silk tie she'd given him on their one month anniversary, it was hard enough not to start crying, let alone talk. Margaret folded his shirt and then moved to refold his underwear.   
  
Hawkeye could tell how distraught she was, her face was wrought with pain, he knew she was trying so hard not to cry. He stood up and moved behind her and put his hands on her arms. "Everything's going to be alright," he told her. He laid his chin on her shoulder and held her close. "I promise I'll be home before you know it."  
  
Margaret sighed, "I'm going to be counting every second, its going to feel like years."  
  
"You'll hardly notice I'm gone," he told her.

She turned in his arms and looked into his eyes. "That's a lie. I'm going be all alone. You'll have family and friends, and all I'll have is a telephone."

That was very true. Since the two of them had been together they secluded themselves from the outside world. Or at least the world that was directly outside their door. Margaret knew people she worked with, but had never made an effort to get to know them. She'd be leaving soon anyway.

Hawkeye watched as a stray tear fell from her right eye. "You'll have me. I'm just a phone call away."

"I don't like this."

He gave her a soft kiss. "I know you don't." Hadn't they had this conversation before? "I'm sorry. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was hurt you."  
  
"I know you didn't want to." She laid her head on his chest and breathed in his scent.

Hawkeye took a deep breath, kissed her on the head, and then pulled away. "I have to finish. You'll be late for work if we don't get this done." He had planned to leave the house the same time as she would leave for work.  
  
Margaret didn't say anything, but turned around and started to refold his clothes. He tossed her a few pairs of jeans and some shirts. He was taking an awful lot. She didn't want to stand there anymore. "I'm going to get another cup of coffee. Do you want one?"  
  
"Make mine for the road, please. I don't want to fall asleep at the wheel." He made a poor attempt at humor.  
  
"Okay," she called back. Did he think that was funny? The thought of losing him forever made her stomach churn. Her head was pounding as it was, and now she was getting nauseas. It was going to be a long day.  
  
Hawkeye packed up his things and took one last look around the bedroom. Their bed was so comfortable. It wasn't just the mattress, it was being together. He loved to roll over in the middle of the night and put his arm around her. It was the smallest things that made everything so special. When her legs would brush up against his own, or when she would end up using him for a pillow. Just her touch was enough to make him melt and drive him wild. She had some sort of power over him that he couldn't explain.

He sighed and picked up his suitcase. Hawkeye switched the light off and then left the room. He placed his luggage by the door and then went to the kitchen where he could hear Margaret banging around. "Hey, what are you doing?"  
  
She looked over at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I spilled the damn coffee all over the place!" She was frantically trying to clean it up while not getting her clothes messy.   
  
Hawkeye walked over to her and took the rag from her hand. He gently pushed her out of the way and went about wiping the mess up with a towel. He placed the wet cloth in the sink and then washed his hands. Turning around he saw her sobbing, her arms wrapped around herself.  
  
"I'm sorry," she cried.  
  
Hawkeye felt his heart ache. "There's nothing to be sorry about." He took her into his arms and wrapped her in a nice warm hug. Her arms went around him holding him as tight as she could. "It's all cleaned up. No harm done."

"Now you can't have any to take." She buried her face into his chest and sobbed.  
  
"That's okay. I didn't really need any. It would just make me pee more." He smiled, hoping that would at least make her crack a smile, but he had no such luck. "Cheer up."  
  
"I can't even make a simple cup of coffee. How do you expect me to live without you for...? I don't know how long."  
  
"Margaret honey, you're getting yourself upset over something so silly. You can take care of yourself. You did it for a long time."  
  
"I don't want to do it anymore. I want you." The fact that they had been fighting lately had added to her sensitivity. She was worried about losing him forever.  
  
Hawkeye didn't know what more there was to tell her. He knew that she was capable of doing things on her own. She was more capable of that than he was. Without anything to say, he stood there and held her letting her really cry for the first time.   
  
To some people that would seem foolish. After all, he wasn't going away forever. At the most they would be apart for three weeks, but Hawkeye wasn't planning on letting that happen. Some people would look at that as a nice break, but not Margaret. She had found her one true love and never wanted to let him go. She would rather fight with him everyday than not have him at all. Everyone else in life had left her, and now he was leaving too. She was scared that a few days or weeks would turn into forever. Hawkeye never made her feel that way; it was her own life experiences that did it.  
  
After a while Margaret pulled herself away from Hawkeye. His white t-shirt was all wet with her tears and had makeup stains on it. "I'm sorry."  
  
He looked down a smiled. "I can change it." He wiped some tears off her face. "Do you feel better now that you let some of that out?"  
  
She nodded. "I guess so."  
  
"You know I'm coming back, right? You act like I'm leaving you forever."  
  
"You better not."   
  
"I better not come back? You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."  
  
"No," she smiled. "You better come back to me. If not, I'm coming to get you."  
  
"Deal." He gave her a kiss on the lips. "Hmm... a little salty."  
  
She giggled a little. "I must look like hell." She placed her hands on her face as if to hide from him.  
  
He held her wrists with his hands and pulled them away from her face. "Never," he said softly looking into her eyes.

"I should wash my face."

"Okay." He gave her a kiss. He cleaned up the dishes while she was gone. It was going to be hard on her to watch him leave. He started to think that maybe he should let her leave for work and he'd leave after she was gone. Maybe that was best for her.

Hawkeye walked back into the bedroom and pulled out a fresh shirt. By the time Margaret had finished washing her face and reapplying her make up he had already finished changing. "What are you doing?" He appeared to be smelling the discarded shirt.  
  
Hawkeye looked up and smiled when he saw her. "Here," he held the t-shirt out to her.  
  
Margaret raised an eyebrow and grinned. "What's this?" She said as he handed it to her.  
  
"Something to remind you of me," he told her. Then with an even brighter smile he said to her, "Go ahead, smell it." Margaret smelled the shirt and closed her eyes, it was doused lightly in his cologne. She smiled up at him and Hawkeye smiled back. "I didn't want you to forget me or anything."  
  
Margaret shook her head and stepped into his open arms. "I could never do that."  
  
Hawkeye glanced over at the bedside clock, it was almost about time she got going. "It's almost seven," he said softly. Hawkeye didn't want to leave her just as much as she didn't want him to.  
  
Margaret nodded; she didn't want to start crying again. "I know."

"I'll walk you to the door." He pulled out of the hug and put an arm around her shoulders. "That sound good?"

"I thought you were leaving at the same time as me." She allowed him to lead her out of their bedroom and to the front door.

"I changed my mind." He really wanted her to leave him so that she didn't have to watch him drive away.

"Oh?"

"Yes." That was all he was going to say. He handed her, her purse and she slung it over her shoulder. "Well..."

"Yeah." She didn't know what to say.

Hawkeye took her into his arms and gave her a warm caring hug. "I love you."

"I love you," she said into his neck. She had buried her face there taking in the smell of him.

Hawkeye rubbed her back and then pulled her off of him and kissed her tenderly. "Be good."

She smiled. "I'm not a child."

"I'm going to miss that smile." He touched her hair. "And this." He looked into her eyes realizing that he was going to miss everything. "I guess you should get going."

"I should." She pulled him to her for another hug. She kissed him quickly. "You behave yourself and come back to me in one piece."

"I'll call you when I get there." He kissed her again.

"Bye, Hawkeye."

He opened the door for her and gave her one last kiss. "Bye, baby." She gave him a said smile and then walked away. "Have a good day," he called. "Oh, and you need more lipstick. It's all smudged."

Margaret smiled and waved as she turned the corner. What Hawkeye didn't see was that she wiped some more tears off of her face.

&&&&&&&&


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Margaret juggled the folders in her arms and struggled with the lock on the door. No matter how she turned the key, the bolt refused to unlock. She switched her things over to her other arm and attempted to turn the key with her right hand. Finally after fighting with it for five minutes she managed to jiggle the key just right and open the door.  
  
That was when it first hit her. For the first time since he'd moved in the apartment was positively dark. He'd always been there when she arrived home from work, except this time he wasn't, and he wasn't going to be. Margaret reached over and flipped on the light, looking sorrowfully at the empty apartment. Normally the odd light would have been on and she could've heard the TV from the other side of the wall of boxes. He'd call out to her as he made her way out to her, and then take her in his arms and give her a kiss.  
  
Margaret stood in the door way, remembering how things had been, how she'd taken him for granted. Before any tears had the chance to fall she shook her head and put that out of her mind for a moment. She shut the door with her foot and then locked the dead bolt like Hawkeye had told her that morning. He had kept insisting that she lock the door as soon as she stepped in.  
  
Margaret kicked off her shoes and sat the stack of papers on the coffee table. There was no one there to give her a kiss or ask how her day was. It was just her and all of the boxes. She hadn't been able to eat lunch that afternoon and she was starving. She decided that the work could wait and she would get something to eat. She untucked her shirt as she walked to the kitchen in her bare feet and smiled when she saw a bouquet of white roses sitting on the counter.  
  
She walked over to them and smelled them and that's when she noticed that there was a letter on the counter next to them. It was Hawkeye's writing. She picked it up and read it through her tears. She missed him so much already. How was she going to live without him? She couldn't wait to get that call from him telling her that he had arrived safely. She glanced at the clock; it had to be soon. At least that's what she was hoping for.  
  
Margaret made herself a light dinner and turned on the television to keep herself company as she worked. In doing it she almost felt like a hypocrite, after all she'd scolded Hawkeye almost a million times about watching TV while she was working. She couldn't stand the silence, she couldn't stand knowing he wasn't there, she had to have something other then her work to keep her mind occupied.   
  
Around nine o'clock she turned off the TV and retired to the bedroom. She did her regular nightly routine and climbed into bed with her book to await his call. Some time around nine thirty the phone finally rang and Margaret rolled across his side of the bed and picked up the receiver.  
  
"Hello?" Her heart was beating franticly; she needed to hear his voice.   
  
"Hey there."  
  
Margaret breathed a sigh of relief. "Hi."  
  
Hawkeye knew she had been torturing herself waiting for him to call. "I promised I'd call."  
  
Margaret nodded and pulled her knees up to her chest. "How are you? How was your drive?" She was eager to hear how his trip had gone.  
  
"I didn't have too much trouble, with all things considered."  
  
"All things considered?"  
  
"I got caught in a little bit of traffic up around Portland; you know how things get in the evening."  
  
"Yeah."   
  
"But other then that, I didn't have any trouble. I'm okay," he reassured her.   
  
Margaret let out an anxious breath, "I thought about you a lot today." She been holding back her emotions all day, it was hard not give in.  
  
"Well, I thought about you too honey." Hawkeye could hear the tension in her voice, he knew she was trying not to cry. "Hey, I'm okay." Then with more reassurance he added, "We're past the worst now, I'll be home before you know it."  
  
"I know."  
  
Hawkeye wished he knew what to say to make her feel better; unfortunately no amount of words could make the pain go away. "How was work today?" He wanted to change the subject. Hearing the sadness in her voice was depressing him.  
  
"Same old stuff. I hate it."  
  
He could hear the tone in her voice. "A few more weeks. That's all."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Anything you want to talk about?"  
  
She sighed. "No. Nothing new. I don't want to talk about my day. Tell me about yours." All she really wanted was to hear his voice. It didn't really matter what he said.  
  
He chuckled slightly. "I was stuck in my car all day. I did a good bit of singing along to the radio, but that's about it. Most of the time I thought about you; about us."  
  
"Oh?"   
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, tell me more."  
  
He smiled. There really wasn't much to say. He had had so much time on his hands that his mind wandered a lot while he was driving. He thought about a lot of things. Things that he was a little embarrassed to say out loud. "Lets see," he paused for a moment thinking about what he should tell her. Something that would pick her mood up. "I thought about how much I love. How it's going to be to carry you across the threshold and start our life together. A real life, not living in limbo like right now."  
  
She smiled on the other end listening to him. It was nice to hear him and know he thought about some of the same things she did, but it was also sad. As much as she wanted him to fold his arms around her and whisper those things in her ear, he couldn't.   
  
Hawkeye tried to say goodbye around ten o'clock. She had a rough day and had to work in the morning. Each time he tried to hang up, she would stop him. Margaret just couldn't let go of him. Once she hung up that would mean that she was all alone again in that big empty bed. It took him ten minutes before he could get off the phone with her, and when he did he felt horrible about it.  
  
Margaret sat all alone in their bed once again. She wiped a stray tear off her cheek and laid back down, turning the bedside lamp off. She found herself wishing she had a dog or some kind of animal. At least then she wouldn't really be alone. Her mind wandered, thinking mostly about Hawkeye, for another half an hour before she finally drifted off to sleep.  
  
Hawkeye lay in bed for what seemed like an eternity before he too fell asleep. Her voice was still ringing in his head, the pain and loss for words crying out to him. He was torn up inside, he shouldn't have left her like that, he should've stayed home. What he had to do in Maine was important, but she was way more important then that.   
  
It was hard for Margaret to go about getting ready for work the next morning. Every time she walked past the bed she glanced at it, expecting to see him lying there, and every time she was forced with the realization that he wasn't. Working wasn't as bad when it came to missing him. There was the odd occasion where she'd catch herself thinking about him, but that was quickly pushed aside by her busy schedule.   
  
That night when she walked through the door she was greeted by yet another surprise, for the second night in a row there was a lovely arrangement of roses poised on the table. She had no idea how he'd done it, but she loved it.   
  
She had some more work to do that night, but put it aside when the phone rang. She and Hawkeye talked for an hour before he made her get off the phone and get to her work. He'd call her later that night before she went to bed anyway. He didn't want to be to blamed when she didn't get her work done or if she had to stay up all night doing it because he stayed on the phone with her.  
  
Her evening was pretty much like it was the night before. She was dealing with his absence a little better, but missed him more and more each minute that he was gone. It was hard to be alone. Living together, the two of them had almost become one; her other half was missing.   
  
The next day was pretty much like the day before. She was alone, he was alone. He felt bad about leaving her and tried to get things together as fast as he could to get back home to her. For the first time in his life he realized home wasn't a place, home was where Margaret was.   
  
For the next two days when Margaret walked into their apartment, she found fresh bouquets of roses. Each day they were a different color and each day she asked him how they got inside. He wouldn't tell her no matter how much she begged. It did bring a smile to her face and that was what he wanted to do.   
  
Each day she must have asked him five times when he was coming back. He never had a strait answer for her because he didn't have one himself. His plan was to catch the first plane that he could and fly back to her. He wanted to see her with his own eyes and hold her in his arms. Hawkeye needed to know that his fiancé was safe. He never felt right about leaving her, but he didn't see that he had a choice. If he had it his way, they would have been together no matter what. One day, when she was out of the army, they would have more freedom to do such things.  
  
Margaret felt like her life was becoming a television rerun, every day she did the same thing, followed the same pattern. She'd get up, go to work, come home, work a little more, and go then to bed. Normally it was enough to make her scream, but it was tolerable, at least then she had him.

&&&&&&&

Margaret sighed heavily as she trudged up the stairs towards their apartment. It was going to be another lonely night. Normally she had her work to keep her company, but tonight she didn't even have that. She opened the door and set her things on the floor before turning and locking the bolt. Margaret had already expected that there was going to be yet another bouquet of roses on the table, there always was, but when she turned around she was greeted by a pleasant surprise.   
  
"That sweet man," she said aloud as she walked across the room, she hadn't guessed he'd go to such extravagant lengths. Sitting in a crystal vase on the kitchen table were at least two dozen long stemmed roses, each a deep, lustrous red.   
  
She put her face to them and took in their scent. This time there was no card with the flowers. She turned the vase around looking for it, but found nothing. "I guess the delivery boy must have lost it." It was then that she saw a card on the table. It had been hiding underneath the vase. She picked it up and read the simple note, smiling to herself. "You better come back to me soon. I don't know how much more I can take." She sighed. "I miss you so much."  
  
It was then that she heard a voice from behind her say, "Why? I'm right here."  
  
Her blue eyes widened and she turned around looking at his smiling face. She didn't say anything and ran into his arms practically attaching her body to his, burring her face in his neck. "Oh, Hawkeye!"  
  
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight to him finally relaxing for the first time since he had left her four days ago. She was safe back in his arms. "Damn, you feel good."  
  
She pulled her head off of him and looked into his eyes. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes were sparkling with joy and excitement.  
  
He smiled and kissed her soft pink lips. "I missed you! I had to get here as soon as I could."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I wanted to surprise you, and I didn't know I was leaving until a few hours ago. I just got here about a half an hour ago."  
  
"You flew in? What about your car?"  
  
"I don't need it." He brushed some hair off of her face. "All I need is you."  
  
Margaret eyes started to tear up again, "I missed you so much." The past four days had been something of a living hell to her; she couldn't put her emotions into words.  
  
"Hey, I'm right here." He tightened his grip on her and held her closer. The tears in her eyes were threatening to spill over.   
  
"I'm okay," she told him as she wiped her eyes. She didn't want to start crying, not when he had just returned home.  
  
Hawkeye laughed softly and used his thumb to wipe away her smeared mascara. "I promise I'm not going anywhere, I'm home for good."  
  
Margaret's heart was racing; she couldn't believe he was actually there. She'd known he could come back one day, but subconsciously she had started to doubt herself. She pulled his head down and kissed him deeply, venting out all her emotions to him. "I'm not letting go again," she told him when they pulled back.  
  
He smiled and kissed her softly. "Good, because I don't plan on letting you go all weekend."  
  
"I wouldn't let you," she smiled.  
  
"Let's go sit down. You must be tired after working all day." By Friday night she was ready to be in bed as soon as she walked in the door. The work week had really taken a lot out of her. She shook her head no in response. "You're not tired at all?" He was a little surprised.  
  
"Nope," she reached up and kissed him.  
  
He wasn't going to argue with her. "I brought you something."  
  
"All I need is you, but thank you for the flowers. They're gorgeous."  
  
"That's not what I was talking about." He gave her a small kiss and then let go of her, but she wouldn't let go of him.   
  
"Don't go."  
  
"Honey," he chuckled. "I'm just going to the bedroom."  
  
"I'm going with you."  
  
"Okay." He took her by the hand and led the way to their bedroom. "I really wasn't sure what to get you."  
  
"You don't need to get me anything. Having you back in once piece is enough for me." She paused for a moment and then said softly. "It's everything to me. You're everything to me." 

Hawkeye turned and gave her a gentle smile. Her picked up both her hands and looked at them as he ran his thumbs over her fingers. Hawkeye laced his fingers through hers and pulled her close to him again. "Every night we were apart, I'd lie awake and think about your hands."  
  
"That's funny, every night I'd like awake and think about your arms," she said softly.   
  
They shared a loving look and kissed once more before he moved away and unzipped his suit case. "Like I said before, I wasn't exactly sure what to get you."  
  
Margaret watched him contently, she didn't care what he got her, she was just happy he was home. "I'm sure I'll love it."  
  
He pulled a black box from his bag and approached her again. "Well, just remember, if you don't like it, I can take it back," he said as he handed it to her  
  
Margaret smiled, "You didn't have to do this, the flowers were more then enough."  
  
Hawkeye crossed his arms and watched her, he knew she was stalling. "Go on, open it."  
  
She gave him a curious glance and then opened the lid. Margaret gave a small gasp when she saw what was inside. "Honey..." She looked at him in disbelief. "I can't believe you did this, it's too much," she protested.

"Nothing is too much for you." He watched her pull out the bracelet. "Do you like it?"  
  
"It's so extravagant." She was in awe.  
  
The diamond bracelet was draped across her hand as she examined it. "Do you like it?" She hadn't answered his earlier question.  
  
"I love it, but you didn't need to..."  
  
He took her hands in his. "I know I didn't need to; I wanted to. It'll look great on you." He took the bracelet from her hand and clasped it on her wrist. "What do you think?"  
  
She held her hand out and looked at it for a moment. On one finger was a beautiful diamond engagement ring, something more than she ever dreamed of, and on her wrist was a sparkling diamond bracelet. He was too good to her. She smiled looking into his eyes and then hugged him, attaching herself to his body. "Thank you, honey."  
  
"You're welcome." He rubbed her back and gave her a kiss on the head. "I bought you something else."  
  
She pulled away and looked up at him. "Hawkeye, are you trying to buy me?"  
  
He was puzzled for a moment, but then laughed when she smiled at him. "I don't have to buy your love. I just do it because I love you."  
  
"Wow, what a good answer."  
  
"Yes." He dropped a kiss on her lips and then moved back to his suitcase. "This isn't something I bought. At least not yet."  
  
"What?"  
  
She watched him pull out a brown envelope and look inside. "Wrong one," he muttered. He grabbed the other one and handed it to her. "Take a look."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Just look." She pulled out the papers to see what it was. "It's houses that Jimmy got together for me to see."  
  
"Jimmy?" She didn't know of a Jimmy.  
  
"He's our realtor; an old friend of mine."  
  
"Oh."  
  
She didn't sound very enthusiastic about it. "Don't you want to look at them?"  
  
"Well, not really." She paused. "I just want to be with you." She wrapped her arms around him after dropping the package on the bed. "It was you missed."  
  
"I know, but I thought you wanted to look at some houses."  
  
"I do, just not right now." All she wanted was to be in his arms. "Maybe we'll look at them later."  
  
"I haven't looked at them yet either."  
  
"You mean you didn't go see them?"  
  
"No, but I didn't look at these papers either. Jimmy gave them to me this morning."  
  
"Oh." He must have been busy while he was there.  
  
"I was supposed to stay another day. I had an appointment with him to go look at some today. I thought it was more important that I get back home to you."  
  
She smiled. "I'm glad you did."  
  
"Me too." He held her for a moment in silence. "Let me make you dinner."  
  
"We'll do it together." She didn't want to be apart for him at all. She wanted to be as close to him as possible.  
  
"What do we have for food here?"  
  
"Not much I'm afraid. I didn't know when you would be back and I was so busy with work, and it was..."  
  
"Its fine," he smiled.  
  
"No. I wanted to make you a nice dinner the day you came home. You just caught me off guard."  
  
"You didn't know I was going to be here tonight. We'll figure something out. Maybe we can do a little food shopping tomorrow."  
  
"You hate grocery shopping."  
  
"So?"  
  
"You want to go?" She was a little surprised. He always complained when he had to go, and that meant that she was normally the one that did it herself.  
  
"Listen, I'm not letting you out of my sight all weekend. You're stuck with me."  
  
"That's good," she said as she tightened her arms around his waist. "Because I'm not letting you out of my grasp all weekend. You're stuck with me, literally."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled and then leaned down and kissed her. He had only meant for it to last for a few moments, but he couldn't help himself. When they parted he smiled down at her and said, "Remind me to pick that up later."  
  
Margaret smiled happily in response, she was feeling very good. After not being able to touch him in four long days, he was finally hers again. "Come on, I'm starving."  
  
He let her guide the way as she held his hand. When they reached the kitchen she refused to let go of him even there. "Do you have any preferences?"  
  
"No," she shook her head.  
  
Hawkeye opened the cupboards and looked around. "Well, this isn't going to be an elaborate meal," he smiled.  
  
"I don't care." She put her arms around him again.  
  
"Baby," he was suddenly aware that she had attached herself to him once more. "I can't cook like this."  
  
"I don't care."  
  
He smiled and gave her a kiss. "Didn't you just say that you were starving?"  
  
"Was that me?" She smiled. "It must have been you."  
  
"No, I don't think so." He gave her another kiss and then moved out of her grasp. "I could make some rice."  
  
"Doesn't matter." She looked at him for a moment and then moved back and put her arm around his waist. She had to touch him.  
  
He pulled some out of the cabinet and set it on the counter. She was clinging right to him. It wasn't a bad thing, but it was a little awkward at the moment. "Do we have meat?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"How can you not know?" She shrugged her shoulders. She really didn't pay much attention to what he said. "Would you check for me?"  
  
She pulled him by the hand and opened the door to the refrigerator. "Chicken breasts."  
  
"Grab 'em."  
  
She pulled them out and handed them to him. "Dinner is going to be kind of plain, isn't it?"  
  
"I'll spice it up."  
  
She smiled at him and kissed him. "I missed you so much. Don't you ever leave me again."  
  
"I don't think I'll be able to." She was holding him so tight, it was almost impossible to move.  
  
"Good," she kissed him.  
  
"I can't cook like this," he told her.  
  
"I don't care."  
  
Hawkeye kissed her and unclasped her hands from around him in the process. "We'll pick this up right after dinner."  
  
"I don't know if I can last that long," she told him with a smile.  
  
He gave her a short kiss and then moved to prepare the food. "Why don't you go change while I'm doing this."  
  
Margaret gave him one more kiss, "I'll be right back, don't go anywhere."  
  
"Don't worry, I won't."  
  
She smiled and left the room, almost running to get to the bedroom. She didn't want to be away from him at all. Hawkeye was getting a kick out of her. She really did miss him; more than he thought she would anyway. He got dinner started while she was gone. He wanted to get that out of the way because once she attached herself to him; it was going to be a little difficult.  
  
"I'm back," she said.  
  
Hawkeye turned around and smiled. He walked over to her and pulled her hand along. He took a seat at the kitchen table and pulled her on his lap. He wasn't going to pass up this. It was a rare mood that he caught her in. "I missed you."  
  
She smiled brightly, letting her fingers brush his unshaven jaw. "You need to shave."  
  
"If I would have shaved, I would have missed my plane."  
  
"Oh, well then it's a good thing you didn't shave." She gave him a kiss. "It's kinda sexy like this anyway."  
  
"Is that so?" He had considered shaving when he got home, but now that she had said that...  
  
"Very sexy," she kissed him again. They kissed a little more passionately for a few moments and then pulled away.  
  
"We shouldn't start something we can't finish." He knew if they did then they'd never get to the food.   
  
"Who says we can't?" Margaret was enjoying this too much.  
  
"I'm glad you're in such a good mood." It was a big step up from a few days ago.  
  
Margaret fingered the collar on his shirt. "Well, why shouldn't I be? My handsome fiancé is home, I couldn't be any happier." She leaned in a kissed his unshaven jaw.  
  
Hawkeye sighed. "Why do I have the feeling I made all that rice for nothing?"  
  
"Who says we can't do both?" She said with a bright smile.  
  
"Rice and chicken and..." He looked at her like she'd gone insane.  
  
Margaret wiggled her eyebrows and gave him a suggestive smile. Before Hawkeye could say anything, she was off his lap on her feet and in the kitchen. "Are you scared?"  
  
"Only of getting burned."  
  
She chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."  
  
"Margaret, maybe we should wait a little bit."  
  
"Why?" She took hold of his hand and pulled him to his feet. "This will be more fun."  
  
Hawkeye was a little nervous. Once he started, he wasn't going to be able to stop for dinner, or even to turn the stove off. "Let's just..."  
  
Margaret had her arms around him and her lips on his silencing him. There was no need for words. She couldn't get enough of him and pressed herself against him as much as she could. She knew she had him right where she wanted him when she felt his hands roam down her back and to her ass. "Mmm," she moaned.   
  
Hawkeye walked over to the counter and picked her up and sat her down. He stood between her legs and started to kiss her again. He was too far gone to care about the food right now. All he really cared about was her. She was finally back in his arms.  
  
Her body was so warm against his, his arms were so encouraging, neither of them could barely contain themselves. Hands roamed over bodies, fingers caressed skin, mouths fought the losing battle. Margaret wrapped her legs around his waist and held him against her as she looped her arms around his neck. They knew they shouldn't be doing this, not now. The food was probably burning, yet neither of them were willing to stop.  
  
"Hawkeye..." Margaret mumbled between kisses.  
  
"I know," Hawkeye muttered as he turned his head to breathe. Despite the obvious knowledge that the food was beginning to burn, they both kept on kissing. Hawkeye's hands moved from her hips and pulled her into a strong embrace. After another few minutes he suddenly pulled away, "The chicken." It was burning.  
  
Margaret watched him as he turned off the oven and opened the door. "I wasn't in the mood for chicken all that much anyway."  
  
Hawkeye examined the chicken and then looked at her. "Well, I'm glad you're not disappointed."  
  
"The only thing I'm disappointed about is that you're over there and not over here." She had promised herself that she wouldn't let him get away from her, and yet he was on the other side of the room.  
  
Hawkeye stood up and walked back over to her. "We don't have anything else to eat."  
  
"I don't care." She opened her arms to him and pulled him close. "We'll think of something."  
  
Margaret kissed him lightly on the lips and Hawkeye reciprocated. "I have the feeling it's going to be a late dinner," he said before kissing her again.  
  
"I'm sure we'll find something we can mix in."  
  
"Mix in?" He stopped for a moment.  
  
"You know, in between."  
  
"In between?"  
  
"Yes."   
  
Hawkeye smiled and went back to kissing her. He wasn't going to argue with that. His hands moved to her hips and pulled her to the edge of the counter. He wanted to feel as much of her as he could. "Mmmm," he moaned and pulled away.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The rice." He turned off the stove and moved the pot back. "We'll order out later."  
  
"Good." She pulled him close and started to kiss him, her hands now roaming all over his back and started to wander up his shirt. The feel of his hard body felt like home.   
  
"Baby," he mumbled against her lips. She moaned in response. "We..." He didn't want to talk, but he did have something to say. "Bed."  
  
"Doesn't matter." She grabbed the bottom of his shirt and started to lift it over his head.  
  
He really wanted to be back in their bed. He missed it. He wanted to make love to her in their bed and hold her there afterwards. "Yes." He waited until his shirt was off and then pulled her off the counter forcing her to wrap her legs and arms around him.   
  
"Ahh," she screamed in surprise. She giggled a little and then relaxed, letting him take her to their room. "God, I missed you."  
  
"You have no idea." He sat her down on the bed and pushed his suitcase off in one swoop and let it fall to the floor. Then he lay down over her going back to kissing her.  
  
Margaret cradled his head in her hands and kissed him back. She had spent one too many nights alone in bed; she had missed him so much. "It feels like it's been years," she whispered into the darkness as he moved to kiss her neck. Hawkeye muttered something incoherently in response. "You have no idea how much I thought about you, about this."  
  
Hawkeye stopped and moved so he could see her face. "It felt so terrible leaving you the way I did, I'm sorry."  
  
"Oh Hawkeye, you don't need to apologize, I knew you had to go, I understand that."  
  
"No," Hawkeye caressed her cheek with his finger tips. "I shouldn't have left you, not now, not when there's so much going on between us."  
  
Margaret kissed him, "All that matters now is that we're back together."  
  
Hawkeye reciprocated her kiss. "You're all I care about."  
  
"Did you really mean it when said we could spend the entire weekend in each other's arms?"   
  
"The entire weekend," he told her with a smile. Margaret sighed happily, she loved touching him, she wasn't going to let him go for anything.  
  
Hawkeye was lying on his back staring up at the ceiling. Margaret was wrapped in his arms and they were both content in that silence for a while. It felt so good to be together again. "Honey?"  
  
"Yeah?" Hawkeye asked.  
  
"You can't leave me again. Ever."  
  
"Sounds good, but I'm liking my welcome home."  
  
She had a lot of time to think while he was gone. She had gotten some things strait in her head and heart during that time. "You'll get more of it. I promise."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes. And I promise not to snap at you so easily."  
  
"I know you work hard, baby. I don't expect you to always be in a good mood when you come home from a job that you don't like."  
  
"I know, but I tend to take out a lot of my frustrations on you. I don't mean to. I don't want to do anything to push you away."  
  
He smiled, and pulled her tight. "Nothing on this earth could push me away from you."  
  
"Good, but I'm still going to try to get better about being so mean to you."  
  
"And I'm going to try to be more patient," he told her seriously. "I know I can be a little selfish when it comes to you."  
  
Margaret smiled against his chest, "That's not a bad thing."  
  
"In most instances not, but sometimes it just makes things more complicated."  
  
"You are the most important thing to me." She put a finger on his chest. "I could never be mad with you over something like that."  
  
Hawkeye rubbed her back comfortingly and smiled, "Neither could I."  
  
They snuggled for almost another half an hour before Margaret sat up and pulled him to join her. "Come on, I'm starving." Hawkeye stumbled out of bed as she guided him by the hand across the room.  
  
"Can't I at least get my robe?"   
  
"Do you need a robe to call for take out?" She asked as she led him through the living room.  
  
"Well no, but its cold."  
  
"You're such a baby."

"A baby? I don't think I've been called that since I was in grade school."  
  
She smiled. "Well, whoever called you that was right."   
  
"Thanks a lot."  
  
When they reached the kitchen she let go of his hand and started to go through the junk drawer to find some menus. Hawkeye usually had them on top of the refrigerator, but she used them while he was gone and put them in what she thought was a better place. "What are you in the mood for?"  
  
He looked at her standing there naked with her back turned to him as she rummaged through the drawer. "Just you." He wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. "You look good enough to eat." He started to nip at her shoulder.  
  
"Hawkeye!" She spun around. "I can't believe you just said that!"  
  
"Said what?"  
  
"You ... you ... never mind." She turned around and grabbed some menus.  
  
Hawkeye grinned and let his hands roam around her stomach and her chest. "I'll have whatever you're having."  
  
"You don't have anything that you want?"  
  
"Honey, all I want food for is fuel. I don't want to be full; I just want to be energized."  
  
She handed him a menu. "Order from here."  
  
He took it and looked it over. It was burgers and wings. "Looks good to me. What do you want?"  
  
She looked at him with a smile. "I want what you're having." It had been four long days since she could eat off of his plate.  
  
Hawkeye bent down and gave her a kiss. "Okay." He picked up the phone and dialed the number. Once he ordered and hung up, he found that her arms were wrapped around him once again. He pulled her tight, enjoying her clinginess for the moment. "You know how you wanted to make me a welcome home dinner?" She nodded. "I like this better."  
  
"Me too." She kissed his chest. Her hands traveled up his chest and came to rest on his shoulders. "How long until the food gets here?"  
  
"Thirty minutes."  
  
She looked hopefully into his eyes. "Do we have time?"  
  
"I don't think so. In fact I know we don't." Her lower lip stuck out in a pouting motion. "I'm sure we could find something else to do."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"We could take a look at some of those houses," he suggested.  
  
That wasn't exactly what Margaret had in mind, but they really didn't have any other options at the moment. Besides, Margaret was eager to see what he had brought back. "Sure," she told him.  
  
Hawkeye kissed her and then picked up her hand and led her back to the bedroom. Margaret sat on the bed as he rummaged through his suitcase. Eventually he found the tan folder he had been looking for and handed it to her. "I think there are some nice ones in there that you might like."  
  
She took the packet from him and opened it, pulling out its contents and spreading them across the bed. Hawkeye lay down next to her and watched her face as she sifted through the pile. "Hawkeye," she turned her head to already find him looking at her. "These look really expensive."  
  
"Don't worry about that. We're just looking at the moment, decide which ones you like," he told her.   
  
"They're all so...I can't choose right now."  
  
"And I'm not asking you to."  
  
"Hawkeye, I'd just be dreaming. We can't afford any of these."  
  
He smiled looking into her eyes. "Well dream, baby. There's nothing wrong with that."  
  
"Yes, but..."  
  
"Margaret, just look at them. That's all I'm asking you to do."  
  
She glanced down at the papers. There were some beautiful houses there. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to look."  
  
He smiled. "There you go." He moved so he could see them too. He wanted to see what her taste was in houses. "You like this one?" It was brick.  
  
"It's nice, and it's not overly expensive, but since I'm dreaming, no." Hawkeye chuckled. "I wanted stone. I love those old New England homes. They stand so strong."  
  
"Oh, well we may as well throw this one out." He took the paper and tossed it aside.   
  
"Oh my," she gasped. "Look at this one."  
  
Hawkeye was familiar with the old house. "You should see the inside."  
  
"I thought you didn't go look at any of these."  
  
"I didn't. I was in it once when I was a kid. It was for sale and a bunch of us decided that we'd take a look. We had always been curious what it looked like."  
  
She smiled thinking about him as a boy. "Must have been nice." He nodded. "It has so much land."  
  
"It's pretty secluded. I don't know if you like that or not."  
  
"I don't think I could live in a house that was separated by six feet of grass from the next. I want room for our children to play, security and privacy for us," she told him.   
  
Hawkeye smiled, he loved it when she talked about their children. "I like that."  
  
"To which? The fact that you could walk around naked without the neighbors watching?"  
  
Hawkeye grinned and scratched his head, "I wasn't thinking about that."  
  
Margaret laughed and looked at the picture again, "I really like this one. It's even on the beach."  
  
"There's a really big back yard, and when you reach the edge of the grass that's where the beach starts."  
  
She smiled at him again. "Well, since we're dreaming here, I think this is the house I want."  
  
"But you haven't even seen the others."  
  
"I know, but I don't need to, this is my dream house."  
  
Hawkeye laughed. "Okay." He leaned over and gave her a kiss.   
  
"Well, maybe I'll look at the others later. Just for fun."  
  
"Okay," he grinned. "You do what you want."  
  
"I do wish you would have brought some houses back that we could afford."  
  
"Margaret, there's nothing wrong with these. The price may be a little steep, but that's about it."  
  
"I know."  
  
He gave her another kiss. "Where's my robe?"  
  
"In your suitcase, I guess. Why?"  
  
"I need to answer the door and I don't want to do it in my birthday suit."  
  
She smiled. "That wouldn't be quite right." She stood up and grabbed her own robe and tied it securely around her waist. "I'm really hungry."  
  
"Don't tell me you forgot to eat lunch again."  
  
"No, I ate. I just didn't eat that much." She bent down and grabbed his robe out of his suitcase and tossed it to him. "You're really the reason I'm so hungry. I don't know when the last time we made love like that was."  
  
He smiled. "I really out did myself, didn't I?"  
  
"I wouldn't go that far," she teased.  
  
"Are you saying that every other time we've made love I've been less then up to standard?" He asked as he slipped on his robe. "Because that's what it sounds like."  
  
"I never said that, I just said I wouldn't go so far as to say you out did yourself."  
  
"Is that the reason why our sex life has been drowning lately? Am I not satisfying you?"  
  
"You know that's not true," she stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I have never been with such a generous lover."  
  
Hawkeye looked at her carefully, "I want you tell me if I'm not doing something right."  
  
"Hawkeye!" She disentangled herself from him. "You're being ridiculous."  
  
"So then what happened here this evening...what you said..." He pointed to the bed. "All of that was a ploy?"   
  
"Of course!" Why was he being so insecure all of a sudden? "Why do you even have to ask?"  
  
A relieved smile spread across his face. "Baby, you know you're not the easiest person to read, let alone please."  
  
"What?!"  
  
Uh oh; he said the wrong thing. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded. Its just that you... well ... "  
  
She waved her hand. "I know what you meant. Don't worry, you've never left me unsatisfied and I'll be sure to let you know the first time that you do."  
  
He chuckled. "Okay."  
  
She moved back into his arms and pressed herself up against him lovingly. "There's no reason that you can't always try to out do yourself. I have a feeling you haven't reached your full potential yet."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"Uh huh," she nodded.   
  
"I'm going to take that as a compliment." He kissed the top of her head.  
  
"You should. That's how it was meant."  
  
"Good." He moved away from her and walked out to the living area with her right behind him.   
  
"I do have one question though...."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Did you mean what you said about our sex life... how did you put it? Drowning?"  
  
He continued walking to the couch. "I don't know." He really didn't want to get into things with her now. He wanted the two of them to at least have one perfect night without fighting. He sat down on the couch and then stood back up when she sat down next to him. "I should get some money to pay for the food."  
  
"I'll get it." She jumped to her feet. He sat back down hoping that he had evaded that conversation. "Damn." He heard after a moment.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm short on cash."  
  
"I have some in my wallet. It's in my pants' pocket in the bedroom."  
  
"Oh. I'll get it." Margaret didn't wait around for a response and quickly dashed into the bedroom. Hawkeye sat idly on the couch and waited, he knew what she was doing. Margaret picked up his pants off the floor, pulled his wallet out of the back pocket, and walked back out into the living room. "Here," she said and tossed it to him. She was curious, but she had promised she wouldn't go snooping through his wallet.  
  
Hawkeye eyed her and then pulled out a ten dollar bill. "That was close," he said as he set it down on the coffee table. "That's all I have left." Margaret tried not to look surprised; she would have guessed he'd had more cash on him, especially if he was traveling. "We'll have to stop off at the bank tomorrow before we go to the store."  
  
"I should probably withdrawal some cash too," she said as she sat down beside him. Hawkeye was going to let her go with him to the bank; this got her a little bit excited. Maybe now she would be able to see how extravagant he really was.  
  
"I can give you some. What's mine is yours." He said nonchalantly. He never had a problem sharing, and she was going to be his wife very soon, so what did it matter?  
  
"No, honey. I have some money."  
  
"It's not a problem."  
  
"Its fine," she smiled.   
  
"If you're sure."  
  
"I am."  
  
He gave her a soft kiss. Hawkeye wondered why she hadn't just opened up his wallet. If she was that curious about it, he would have expected her to look. She was alone in the room. "I'll get the groceries tomorrow."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I wonder where that food is."  
  
"You know how they are. That place is always slow."  
  
"Then why did you order from there?" He asked.  
  
"That was why, but you said we didn't have enough time."   
  
"That's a good thing," he reminded her. "Maybe this time I'll out do myself."  
  
She chuckled. "I wish."  
  
"Just you wait," he told as he gave her challenging look. "The night's not over."  
  
Margaret moved so her arm was resting on the back of the couch. "I'm regretting looking at those houses now," she said lightly.  
  
Hawkeye leaned in a kissed her. "If only someone would have told me they were slow earlier," he teased.  
  
She held onto the collar of his robe and forced him to move closer to her. "It's probably been thirty or so minutes, we probably have another half an hour." Knowing their delivery service, they still had a while to go. She pulled him down and kissed him slowly. Hawkeye moved in closer and her hands moved to the back of his neck.  
  
"You know," Hawkeye said when they parted lips. "I don't think this is a very good idea." He knew that if they got started he wouldn't be able to stop, even for the door.  
  
"What's wrong with a little harmless kissing while we're waiting for the food?" She massaged the back of his neck gently.  
  
Hawkeye grinned; he couldn't help but give in when it came to her. "Fine, but you're answering the door."  
  
"Fine." She kissed him, her hands roaming all around his back and neck.   
  
He pressed his body against hers and got lost in her once again. He had never known that he could love someone so much before. Being without her for four days and knowing how much that hurt her was amazing to him. Someone loved him that much.   
  
Margaret suddenly pushed him away. They were both a little breathless. "The door."  
  
"I thought you said they would be late."  
  
"They usually are." She straitened out her hair. "Would you get the door?"  
  
"No. You're getting the door, remember?"  
  
She looked into his eyes and smiled. "Then maybe you should get off me." Hawkeye grinned and kissed her. Then he moved off. "Thank you." She grabbed the cash off of the side table and went to the door. She checked herself in the mirror to make sure she was somewhat presentable and then opened the door and paid for their food.   
  
Hawkeye stood up and helped her bring the food and the soda to the coffee table. "You think this is enough?"  
  
"I'm pretty sure. This would be enough for six people."  
  
"You said you were hungry."  
  
"Yes, but I'm not an animal. I can't eat all of this." She started opening things to see what it was.   
  
"And no one said you had to," he said as he joined her. "What we don't eat now we'll save as leftovers."  
  
"We won't need to go grocery shopping with all of this."  
  
Hawkeye opened the other boxes and then got out two plates. "I'm making you a romantic dinner tomorrow night."  
  
"I'll probably be too full from all of this to eat tomorrow night," she said as she looked at it all.  
  
Hawkeye set a plate down in front of her. "Remember what I said, pace yourself. You don't want to be full; you just want to feel good."  
  
"Isn't that your department?" She asked with a grin on her face.  
  
Hawkeye put a fry in her mouth. "Eat."

She smiled accepting the food that was put in her mouth. She could have sat there all night with him just looking at him. Although, teasing him was much more fun. She was able to see that smile on his face and that sparkle in his eye again. Four days was a long time to go without seeing him.  
  
"How is it?" He asked.  
  
"Great," she smiled.  
  
"You call this food great?" He wasn't aware that she wasn't speaking of the food, but of her own thoughts. She shrugged her shoulders. "You just wait for tomorrow night."  
  
"Oh, I can't wait," she said taking a bite out of a chicken wing.  
  
Hawkeye looked at her oddly for a moment trying to understand why she was acting so dreamy. That was just her though. No one ever knew what went through her mind. He thought about trying to understand that, but it only brought him more confusion. He shrugged off the curiosity and began to eat his own meal. He didn't realize how hungry he was until he took that first bite out of his hamburger. "Mmmm, oh," he moaned.  
  
Margaret chuckled slightly. "It must be good."  
  
"Oh, it is." He still had a mouth full of food.  
  
"Can I try?"  
  
Hawkeye swallowed his food and took a sip of his soda. "I knew you'd want some." He leaned over and gave her a tender kiss and then held up his burger for her to take a bite out of. Each night he was gone he always had some left over food on his plate. Subconsciously he was saving it for her even though he knew she wasn't there. It was just something that he had grown accustomed to. "Good?"  
  
She nodded and held out a piece of her chicken sandwich for him to try. He leaned over and took a bite and decided that his burger was better. "You want to trade?" He asked.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
He nodded. He knew that she wanted his food, but she didn't want to ask. "Yes. I like yours better."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yes. Now hand it over." It was a lie, but it was only a small one. It wouldn't hurt anyone.  
  
Margaret smiled and graciously accepted the burger. "I don't know why, but yours always tastes better."  
  
"Maybe you just have an infatuation with my mouth," he said as he took a bite out her chicken sandwich.   
  
Margaret leaned over and gave him a kiss. "Maybe I do."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled to himself and took another sip of soda. "So do we have any other plans for tomorrow, other then shopping?"  
  
"Well I didn't know you were coming home today. I really didn't have anything planned."  
  
"Good, let's keep it that way."  
  
Margaret smiled, she was glad he felt the same way. "So you won't be too disappointed if we spend most of the day in bed?"   
  
"I wouldn't be disappointed even if you walked around naked all day," he told her.  
  
She chuckled. "Of course you wouldn't. That goes without saying."  
  
He smiled. "What are you trying to say, huh?"  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
"So, I love your body. That's a good thing."  
  
"Yeah, now it is."  
  
"What do you mean?" He took a bite of the sandwich.   
  
"You used to lust after my body all the time. Now its okay, because we're together, but before that...."  
  
"You're just a great specimen of the human body. I am a doctor, Margaret. I should notice these things." She rolled her eyes. "Ah, I even missed that!"  
  
"What?" She looked at him with confusion.  
  
"You always roll your eyes at me. I missed that." She smiled and leaned in for a kiss. "I missed that even more though."  
  
"Me too." She brushed some bread crumbs off of his chin. "You're a messy eater."  
  
Hawkeye just laughed. "So, you almost finished?"  
  
"Not yet."  
  
He narrowed his eyes looking at her. "You didn't eat lunch, did you?"  
  
"Yes I did!" She protested.  
  
"Then what did you have?"  
  
"Um... some chips."  
  
"Margaret!"  
  
"I was busy." She hated when he got on her about eating a healthy lunch. She just didn't have the time while she was at work. "It's not like I want to skip lunch. I like to eat just as much as the next person."  
  
"I know you do."  
  
"Now what's that supposed to mean?!" She set her burger down and looked at him.  
  
"Nothing at all." He knew he shouldn't have said anything. "I was just agreeing with you."  
  
"Sure you were," she narrowed her eyes at him and nodded her head sardonically.  
  
"Baby, you have a terrific body." She really did.   
  
"You better watch your mouth or you won't be seeing anymore of it," she said in a mock serious tone.  
  
Hawkeye finished off his sandwich and wiped off his hands. He moved closer to her and untied the sash of robe. Before she could object he moved a hand inside and touched her bare skin. "I think you know how I feel about you," he said softly.  
  
Margaret smiled and kissed him. "I'm still eating," she told him as she stuffed some French fries into her mouth.  
  
"That's fine by me," he said as he moved closer and kissed her neck. "I'll just start working on desert while I'm waiting."  
  
She moaned getting pleasure out of his kisses. She was enjoying it a little too much. "Ah... Hawk...honey."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Stop please."  
  
He looked into her eyes. "You can eat. I don't mind."  
  
She smiled and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Let's get this cleaned up." She gave him another kiss. "And then we can have dessert."  
  
Hawkeye grinned as he brush his hand across her bare stomach and stood up. "Good. I may need another rejuvenating snack later."  
  
"Yes," she stood up and tied her robe again. "You may."  
  
Hawkeye picked up as much food and containers as he could and walked off to the kitchen. Margaret was following tight behind him like she had done since he got home a few hours before. They shoved everything in the refrigerator and in the trash within minutes. "Done!"  
  
"Yep." She placed her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. "Should we have dessert in bed?"  
  
Hawkeye shook his head, "I was taught never to eat in bed."  
  
Margaret brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. "Don't you think we can make an exception, just this one time?"  
  
"I don't know, I know how you feel about getting crumbs on the sheets."  
  
"I've been known to bend the rules every now and then," she said seductively as she loosened his robe.  
  
"Then how about we mix it up," he said suggestively. "After all, where's a better place to have dessert other then the kitchen?"  
  
Margaret's eyes widened, he was being awfully brave. They'd already spent one evening on the kitchen floor, she wasn't anxious to do it again. "I have a better idea," she said, taking his hand and pulling him from the kitchen.  
  
He followed along with his robe flapping in the wind behind him. Any place was better than the bed at the moment. In fact, any place was fine at the moment. "Where...?"  
  
Margaret reached the living room and stopped. She turned around and pushed his robe off of his shoulders looking at his naked body for a moment. "I think..." Her fingers played with the little bit of hair on his chest. "That this is as good of place as any."  
  
"The floor?"  
  
"Or the chair, or the couch, or the coffee table..."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Uh huh." She moved in to kiss him, but he stopped her and untied the sash on her robe. He placed his hands on her bare hips and pressed her into him kissing her. She moaned into his mouth. The combination of his kisses and his naked body pressed against hers was almost too much to bear. Hawkeye was the one person on earth that she just couldn't get enough of.  
  
His mouth traveled down to her neck and her chest while his hands moved to her shoulders and pushed her robe down. "Very nice," he smiled.   
  
Margaret smiled as she led him to the couch. He sat down and she straddled his lap zeroing her mouth in on his. As far as their sex life was concerned, they were normally very conservative when it came to where they did it. On occasion they would try something new, but it was very rare. She gasped as his mouth moved to suck on her neck. "No marks..."  
  
Hawkeye worked lower and kissed the underside of her throat. "No one will see," he breathed.  
  
"Work..." she groaned, she couldn't help it when he kissed her like that. He nipped lightly at her skin and then moved lower to suck on her pulse. "Hawkeye," he was making things difficult.  
  
Hawkeye moaned when he heard his name, "Shh..."  
  
"Please..." She was practically begging him now.   
  
Relentlessly he moved back to her mouth and kissed her deeply. "Damn work," he breathed into her mouth. Margaret groaned in agreement. Hawkeye's hands traveled up her back and then back down to force her hips further against his.  
  
She gasped at the contact and relaxed against him. Her hands ruffled his hair as they kissed. She was trying to keep her mouth connected with his so he wouldn't wander back to her neck and make any marks. She didn't need that. "Ha...Haw...Hawk..."  
  
"Mmmm?" His hands pressed her hips downward once again.   
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Yeah..." Hawkeye flipped her over onto her back and then climbed in between his legs. They didn't always need words to communicate.   
  
"Better?" He nodded and moved to her neck. Her hands moved to cup his face and bring him up, but he wouldn't do that. Instead, he moved lower. She arched her back holding the back of his head. He did incredible things to her. He pressed his hips into her more and she gasped. "Ah," she squealed.  
  
"Mmmm," he smiled and licked his way up her chest and across her chin until he made contact with her mouth. His aim was to finally out due himself, as Margaret put it earlier. She wanted a good time and he was planning on showing her that.  
  
"Do we have any chicken wings left?"  
  
"Is that all you think about? Chicken wings?"   
  
Hawkeye was lying on top of her; his head was resting on her chest. Margaret rubbed his back soothingly as she looked up at the ceiling, she was feeling very good. "I don't smoke, you know that."  
  
"I know, you eat."  
  
"Hey!" She stopped and looked down at him.  
  
"Well its true baby," he lifted his head and met her gaze. "It happens almost every time."  
  
"I can't help it, I need something to nibble on," she defended.  
  
Hawkeye grinned and nipped lightly at her skin, "As do I."  
  
She giggled and pushed his head up. "I need something else."  
  
"You are no fun."  
  
"No fun?! You don't call what we just did, fun?"  
  
He reached up and kissed her. "The most fun I've ever had." After a moment of silence he said, "Well...maybe not."  
  
She slapped the back of his head. "What do you mean by that?!"  
  
He winked at her and then got off of her. "I'm pretty sure we have some wings left."  
  
Margaret stood up and grabbed her robe and then followed him into the kitchen. "You didn't answer my question."  
  
"Yes I did. We do have wings." He pulled out a container and sat it on the counter. "Hey, you put your robe on."  
  
She looked down. "I know." She grabbed the food from him and sat down at the table.  
  
Hawkeye took a seat on a chair next to her. "Oh, this is cold." He jumped back up.  
  
She grinned. "That's why I have my robe on."  
  
"You could have at least told me to put mine on." He picked up a hand towel off of the counter and examined it before placing in on the chair to sit on it.  
  
"I like you like this."  
  
"Naked?" He looked down at himself.  
  
"Vulnerable is a better word for it."   
  
Hawkeye grinned, "So then you wouldn't mind if I just lounged around like this?" He sat back in the chair.  
  
"Not at all," she smiled.  
  
Hawkeye decided to be daring and test his luck, "Even if say...Lorraine came over?"  
  
Margaret's eyes lit up, "Please, it was hard enough even when you had your clothes on." Hawkeye knew that Lorraine had been watching him, and Margaret was aware of that. She knew he was just trying to get under her skin.  
  
Hawkeye chuckled to himself and put his hands behind his head, "Well can you blame her?"  
  
Margaret looked over his body and smiled, "I guess not."  
  
He grinned proudly. "I've found a new sense of self while I was away."  
  
"No, you found your old confidence back. You felt useful while you were away. You don't here with me." Her eyes lowered to her food.  
  
She was right. There was no denying that, but it wasn't her fault. "I'd still rather be here with you."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Of course," he smiled. "You're more important than I am."  
  
"No I'm not."  
  
"To me you are." He touched her hand. "The ideal situation would be for both of us to be happy with our work. That'll happen soon."  
  
"Two weeks," she smiled brightly.  
  
His eyes widened in that realization. That seemed so soon. "What about our wedding?"  
  
"Oh no!" They hadn't done anything about that yet. "What are we going to do about that?"  
  
"I don't know. I thought that was your department. You wanted to do it."  
  
"Well, honey I don't have that much time."  
  
"You tell me what you want and I'll do what I can to make it happen."  
  
Margaret shook her head and shifted her food with her fork. "Two weeks isn't going to be enough time," she told him.  
  
"If we know what we want it is," he tried to console her.  
  
"But we don't know! We don't have any idea!"  
  
"Honey," he scooted closer and put his arm around her. "It's going to be okay. We'll spend this week going over what we want, and then we'll call my dad and tell him. You'll see, everything is going to work out just fine."  
  
"I was just so stressed out about work and...I completely forgot!" Margaret buried her face in her hands.  
  
"It'll be fine," he kissed the top of her hair. "Trust me."  
  
"I hope you're right."  
  
"Of course I'm right. Now we have something to do this weekend."  
  
"I didn't want to do anything. Now we have to get on the phone and make all kinds of calls and..."  
  
"Margaret, slow down. All we have to do is figure out what we want for our wedding."  
  
"How am I supposed to get a dress?"  
  
"Do you know what you want?"  
  
"Well, sort of."  
  
"Look, we're going out tomorrow. I'm sure they have some sort of magazine that has that sort of thing. We'll start our planning."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Tonight, we don't have to worry about any of that. I had to go without you for four of the longest days in my life. It may sound selfish of me to say this, but I want you to be with me tonight. Only you and I exist."  
  
She smiled. "That sounds wonderful, but our wedding is about us."  
  
"I know. Why are you in such a hurry to get married? We live together now. We could live together there and just plan our wedding for a later date."  
  
"No," Margaret said quickly. "I don't want to wait any longer; I want to be your wife."  
  
Hawkeye smiled lovingly at her, "So do I."  
  
"I love you."   
  
"I love you too," he leaned in and kissed her gently.  
  
"Can we not talk about this anymore?" She asked when he pulled away. "I'm getting a headache."  
  
"Of course. Come on, why don't we go get in bed."   
  
Margaret nodded, "That sounds like a really good idea."  
  
Hawkeye stood up and offered her his hand. "Did you get your fill of chicken?"  
  
Margaret tried not to smile, "Yes."  
  
Looking at the mess of boxes on the table he said, "We can clean this up in the morning." He put his arm around her and led her toward the bedroom.   
  
Normally Margaret wouldn't be able to sleep with a mess on the table, but it didn't matter tonight. She let him lead her to the bedroom shutting all the lights off in the apartment as they went. Tonight she would be wrapped in his arms. "Let me go to the bathroom," she said.  
  
"I want to brush my teeth too." He followed her in there. "Wait, my things are in my suitcase." He walked back into the bedroom and went through his suitcase trying to find what he was looking for. When he walked back into the bathroom Margaret was standing at the sink brushing her teeth. He kissed the side of her neck and then grabbed the toothpaste.   
  
Margaret watched him bring the tooth brush to his mouth and brush every tooth up and down. That annoying habit was something that she missed. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and placed a kiss on his back before resting her head on him. "I'm so glad you're home."  
  
"Yes." He spit in the sink and rinsed his mouth. He turned around and hugged her.   
  
"Let's go to sleep," she sighed.  
  
"I'll be there in moment," he told her. "I need to go to the bathroom first."  
  
"Okay," she gave him a kiss.   
  
As she was walking out the door Hawkeye called out to her. "And Margaret," she turned to look at him. "Don't you dare put any pajamas on." Margaret flashed him a smile and then disappeared into the bedroom.   
  
A moment later Hawkeye turned off the light in the bathroom and walked out. He found Margaret standing beside the bed in attempt to straiten the sheets. "You pulled the entire top sheet out," she said as he walked up behind her.  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Well your legs are a lot longer and stronger than mine."  
  
"That doesn't mean I did it all on my own, you were also there as I remember," he reminded her. "Besides, we've done worse."  
  
Margaret turned her head so he couldn't see her blush. She made up her last hospital corner and then pulled up the comforter. "There."  
  
Hawkeye wanted to laugh; she'd just remade the entire the bed for nothing. "Did you make the bed every morning?" He asked as he climbed in. Usually it was him who did that.  
  
Margaret looked at him sheepishly. "No."

"You were the one that got me into the habit of making the bed."  
  
"Yes," she smiled as she climbed in. "I got you into it and myself out of it."  
  
Hawkeye reached across her and shut the lamp off. "So you're just getting me into all those good habits so you don't have to do it anymore, huh?"  
  
"No. You're always the last one out of bed, so you should be the one to make the bed."  
  
Hawkeye sighed; he could never win with her. "Uh huh."  
  
"Would you do me a favor?"  
  
"What's that?" He settled into bed.  
  
"Would you unplug the phone?" She didn't want any interruptions. She wanted to be able to sleep in and not move from his arms until she was good and ready.  
  
"Yeah." He smiled. He turned over and stretched across the bed to get to the phone. "Damn thing. Why do you have to have the nightstand pushed so far against the wall? I can't get to the cord." He moved closer to the edge of the bed and pushed out the nightstand.  
  
"We have limited space, honey. I had to work with what I had."  
  
Hawkeye unplugged the phone cord and then turned back over onto his side fully expecting her to have her back to him ready to spoon. He was pleasantly surprised to see that she was facing him. She watched him settled down onto his pillow and then she moved into his arms. Her face was buried in his neck, her arms around him and their legs entangled. "Oh, this is more like it."   
  
She smiled at the feel of his warm arms holding her close. "This bed was so lonely without you."  
  
"Mine was too."  
  
"I didn't like it."  
  
He kissed the top of her head. "Neither did I."  
  
"I love you," she whispered.  
  
Hawkeye kissed the top of her head. "I love you too. Goodnight, baby."

They made up, but this isn't the end of the story. Now its time to go to Maine and get ready for the wedding.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

"There's a movie showing in ten minutes," Margaret said as she examined the brochure. They were finally doing what they said they would, leaving Virginia and heading to Maine to start their lives as a married couple. Margaret couldn't have been happier. "What do you say?" She squeezed his hand in an attempt to catch his attention.  
  
Hawkeye had been reading about one of the exhibits, he hadn't heard a word she said. "Hmm?" He turned his head and met her gaze.  
  
"You wouldn't mind sitting though a twenty minute movie with me would you?"  
  
"Of course not." He let go of her hand and put his arm around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I told you, I'll do anything you want to do."  
  
Margaret smiled, he was being very tolerable with her. Seeing as he grew up in Maine he knew all there was to know, but Margaret was just getting accustomed. She wanted to make a point to know as much about the state as possible, after all, they were going to spend the rest of their lives there.   
  
"How much more of a drive do we have until we get to Crabapple Cove?" She asked leaning over to look at the brochure he had in his hand.  
  
"Maybe three hours. Not too much."  
  
"You excited?"  
  
He smiled and nodded. Although he was there two weeks before, he did nothing but work. This time he was there to stay for good with the woman who was soon to be his wife. "Should we go sit down?"  
  
"I guess so."  
  
Hawkeye led her to the room where the movie was showing. He knew exactly where it was; he had been there numerous times. They sat on the back bench, it was a set up that reminded them somewhat of when the mess tent became a theater back in Korea. When the lights went off Hawkeye started to become playful. He knew all there was to know about Maine, and was only interested in Margaret at the moment. She had to swat his hand away from her upper thigh continuously. When she wasn't doing that she was pushing his lips away from her neck. He found it all very amusing, she however didn't find it quite as humorous as he did.  
  
"Hawkeye," she said tersely. "What is wrong with you?"  
  
"What?" He grinned trying to play innocent.  
  
"You kept trying to..." She looked around to make sure no one could hear and then leaned in and whispered, "To feel me up!"  
  
He laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Is it my fault that I can't keep my hands off of you?"  
  
"Yes!" She wrapped her arms around him.  
  
A few old couples walked by the two of them grinning, but neither Hawkeye nor Margaret saw them. If they were in each other's arms like that, the rest of the world ceased to exist for that time.  
  
"What do you want to do now?" He asked.  
  
"Nothing," she mumbled against his chest.  
  
"Are you ready to go?"  
  
"I don't really want to get back into the car just yet." She pulled away to look up at him. "Are you ready to go?"  
  
"Not if you're not. Let's grab some snacks before we go. I get so bored in the car."  
  
"You're going to get fat."  
  
He rolled his eyes and then grinned evilly. "I believe you were eating just as much I was."  
  
"Yes, but unlike you, I have been making healthy food choices."  
  
Hawkeye laughed softly, "I don't think putting lettuce on your hamburger qualifies as healthy eating."  
  
"It's healthier then what you've been eating."  
  
"You've been eating all my food!"  
  
"I have not," she argued. "I had a couple odd bites, but that was it."  
  
Hawkeye leaned in and kissed her cheek. "If you split a snack with me I promise to help work it off."  
  
Margaret could feel her face turning red. She knew that no one could have possibly heard that, but the fact that they happened to be sitting in the movie theater of the Maine Welcome Center made her uncomfortable. "Hawkeye!" She hissed and pushed her elbow lightly into his stomach.  
  
Hawkeye couldn't help himself, he was having too much fun. "I can wait the three hours until we get to my father's if you want, or I can always move some of those boxes in the back to the floor."  
  
Her eyes widened and she walked off toward the crowd of people. She didn't want to be embarrassed and he didn't seem to care. Hawkeye walked up beside her quickly and grabbed her hand. "Let's get you that snack."  
  
Hawkeye smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'll work..."  
  
"Don't even say that." She stopped him before he could go on. "Let's just get back on the road."  
  
"You're not mad, are you?"  
  
She shook her head no. She wasn't mad; she just didn't want him to go on anymore. "I'm ready to go and see our new home."  
  
"We don't have one yet." He pulled some change out of his pocket to see how much he had before he got something to snack on.   
  
"I know."  
  
He grabbed a bag of chips and a Coca-Cola and paid for them quickly. "All set. Ready to get going?" She nodded and picked up his hand. "You're not getting nervous about marrying me, are you?"  
  
"No, of course not. Do you want to drive now?"  
  
"Yeah." He took the keys from her. "I know my way from here pretty damn well."  
  
Margaret took the soda from him and took a drink. "Good. I'm sick of driving."  
  
"You've been driving for two hours," he chuckled.   
  
"Yes, and I hate it. I like sitting in the passenger's seat looking out the window."  
  
"Taking a nap is more like it." He opened the door and let her go ahead of him.   
  
"And miss this beautiful scenery?" She asked as they walked to the car. "No, besides if I fall asleep now it'll be harder for me to fall asleep tonight."  
  
"Well, you know I can help with that," he grinned.  
  
"I doubt your father will even allow us to sleep in the same room."  
  
Hawkeye shrugged his shoulders, she was probably right. His father was very old fashioned, he wouldn't permit something like that. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him," he said as they neared the car.  
  
Margaret stood beside the passenger door and waited for him to unlock the doors. "We are not having sex in your father's house."  
  
Hawkeye got in and then reached over and unlocked her door. "Why not? He'll never know."  He sat back up and started the car.  
  
Margaret climbed in and shut her door. "Because...it's your father's house."  
  
"I can be quiet if you can," he said.  
  
"No, not when he's two doors down."  
  
"So does that mean I have a chance when he goes to work?" He asked hopefully.  
  
"I doubt it," she said seriously.   
  
"What?"   
  
"Honey, we'll be so busy with planning for the wedding. There are still some last minute details I need to take care of."  
  
"Well when...?"  
  
"When we're on our honeymoon I suppose."   
  
Hawkeye started the car and put it in reverse. "Seatbelt," he said. He waited until she had it on and then backed out of the parking spot. "Do you know how long that is?"  
  
"Yes. Five days. We've gone longer."  
  
"Not by my choice."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "It's not by mine either. I don't like getting my period you know."  
  
"How's it looking that way?"  
  
Margaret turned her head and looked out the window. "All clear. I don't know what you're whining about anyway. You and I both know that if you can find the time and the place, we'll have sex."  
  
"Damn right." He pulled out onto the highway. "Can I have my soda?"  
  
"It's almost gone."  
  
Hawkeye glared at her for a split second. "You drank all my soda," he stated with a glint in his eye.  
  
"You have a bladder the size of a pea, its better that I finished it."  
  
Hawkeye growled, "First you tell me we can't have sex for a week and now you've gone and downed my entire soda?"  
  
"I'm sorry," she told him. She hadn't realized he'd get so upset.  
  
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he told her in a softer tone. "I guess I'm just a little tired, I didn't sleep very well last night."  
  
Margaret had to agree with him there, "I don't sleep very well on the floor either." The movers had taken all the furniture the day before. "You were awfully restless," she said thoughtfully. Instead of Hawkeye spooning behind her, Margaret had been the one behind him.  
  
"I guess I was just anxious."  
  
"You must have been. Why are you so worried? This is what we've wanted all along." She placed her hand on his knee.  
  
"Yeah, I know. It's just....I don't know." He didn't want to tell her his business concerns. She had a lot on her plate to worry about with the wedding. She had just gotten out of the army and he wanted to give her some time to adjust before he told her anything.  
  
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Well, I'm not anxious about moving. I'm just a little worried about living with your father."  
  
"We'll look for houses. Don't you worry about that."  
  
"Oh, I know."  
  
"Maybe we'll take a look at that dream house of yours." He looked over at her and she was about to open her mouth to protest. "Just to look."  
  
"Okay."   
  
"I'd like to take another look at it too. It's been years."  
  
"Yeah." She looked out her window at the passing scenery. "This is beautiful."  
  
"Crabapple Cove is better. I wish I would have taken you there more than once. That way you would be more familiar with it."  
  
"I've heard so much about that place for so many years that I feel like I know it pretty damn well."  
  
"You make it sound like that's a bad thing," he said looking at her.  
  
"No honey, it's not a bad thing." She touched his leg, "I'm just saying that you've been talking about it for as long as I've known you. After nearly four years, I'm quite familiar with it."  
  
It was true, Hawkeye loved to talk about his home town, and he'd gotten worse since they decided to move there. "I know you are."  
  
Margaret relaxed against the seat and looked out the window. "It sure is green up here."  
  
"Yeah." Virginia seemed very dry compared to Maine. It was one of the things that made his trip back bearable.  
  
"Do you think you can take me down to the water some time?" Margaret asked as she looked out at the ocean in the distance.  
  
Hawkeye smiled, "You can count on it."   
  
"Is the water cold?" She glanced back at him.  
  
"It's not too bad in the summer."

"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Well, it's almost September. You may not want to go swimming in it, but that doesn't mean we can't go for some walks."  
  
She smiled, leaning her head against the seat. "I would love that."  
  
"I know you would." Hawkeye focused most of his attention on the road, but that wasn't really what he was focused on. His mind was racing with other things. Things that Margaret didn't need to know about yet.  
  
"Honey, do you think we could find a house of our own before we leave on our honeymoon? I would really like a place to come back to."  
  
"We can try."  
  
"Less than a week. It probably won't happen, will it?"  
  
He smiled. "That doesn't mean it won't happen. There's always that chance."  
  
She nodded. Her mind was filled with questions and concerns about starting their new life together. It wasn't overwhelmed with doubt, but there was some mixed in there. None that concerned Hawkeye directly; she knew that they would be together forever. "Do you know when you're starting work?"  
  
"When we get back from our honeymoon. That's the plan anyway."  
  
"Are you ready?"  
  
He glanced over at her. "Why all these questions?"  
  
"Just conversation," she said.  
  
"I thought you wanted to watch the scenery."  
  
"You don't need your eyes to talk," she told him.  
  
"It's more like grilling," he said.  
  
"I am not grilling you; I'm just asking you questions. I can't help it if you're not answering back."  
  
Hawkeye smiled and looked back at the road, "Okay, okay."  
  
Margaret looked back towards the landscape. After a moment of silence she asked, "What time is your father expecting us?"  
  
"I told him we'd be there sometime around seven."  
  
"Any one else going to be there?"  
  
"Maybe some family, I'm not sure."  
  
"I hope not," she said. The suddenly realizing how that sounded she added, "Because I want to get to bed at a respectable time tonight, you know we won't if everyone is there."  
  
"I know." He knew how she felt about his family.  
  
She smiled. "I do like them, you know."  
  
"I know, baby." Hawkeye looked out at the road as she looked out at the scenery. He was sensing that she was so talkative from nervous energy. Now that she wasn't talking she was wringing her hands. "When we get our house, are you going to do all the decorating?"   
  
"What?"  
  
Hawkeye couldn't think of anything else to say and he liked how happy it made her to talk about a home of their own. "In our house, are you going to hire an..."  
  
"Oh no," she waved her hand. "I want to do it. I know what I want."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes. How do you feel about red?"  
  
He grinned. "For what?"  
  
"Our bedroom. I've always thought that having a bedroom decorated in red was very sexy."  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"I thought you'd like that."  
  
"Can we have silk sheets?" He asked.  
  
"If you want to spend the money."  
  
"For our bed? Nothing could be too much."  
  
She smiled and shook her head slightly. "What do you want in a house?"  
  
"Just for you to be happy with it. That's all."  
  
"Would you like an office or something?"  
  
"Margaret, I want you to do what you want with the house. You make it our home and I'll be happy with that."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Listen, I want you to do this," he told her sincerely. "I know what this house means to you."   
  
Margaret was touched by his sentiment, it did mean a lot to her, but he had to have some say in it too. "We're going to live in this house for the rest of our lives; I want you to be happy with it too."  
  
"Whatever makes you happy makes me happy."  
  
Margaret smiled and looked away, he was being impossible. "We'll do it together," she told him.  
  
"You're the one who's going to be home, not me," he argued.  
  
"I want you to be a part of the decision making. Once we buy a house we're going to have to go furniture shopping and paint shopping, I'm going to need you with me."  
  
"Okay, I can do that," he nodded.  
  
"And I'll need your opinion," she added.  
  
"You don't like my opinion."  
  
She chuckled. "In this case I'll make an exception. I want you to be involved. You want to be, don't you?"  
  
He shrugged his shoulders. In all his life he never once thought of decorating a house. "I guess it could be fun."  
  
Margaret knew he wasn't one for decorating. She had seen the way he lived in Korea and had even seen his bedroom at his father's house. There was no color, no pictures, just dust. "We'll do it together. At least make the important decisions together."  
  
"That sounds good to me. I don't care about decorating a bathroom or anything. You do that."  
  
She smiled and nodded. "You have a deal. You can do the yard work."  
  
He groaned audibly. "Can't we just hire someone?"  
  
"No. It won't hurt you to get out there and mow the grass. You'll need the exercise." She reached over and patted his stomach.  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "You just wait. You'll be staying home soon. You'll see how fast that weight gets put on."  
  
"Not like you..."  
  
Hawkeye's jaw tightened, she knew how self conscious he was. Now that they were moving to Maine, he was going to do as much running as possible. "You weren't complaining a few nights ago."  
  
"It was dark," she said with a vindictive grin.  
  
He didn't even bother to look at her; he knew what she was doing. "Are you going to be up for looking at houses tomorrow?"  
  
"Do you think your friend would be available in the afternoon?"  
  
"I don't see why not."  
  
"Good, I was hoping I could sleep in tomorrow."  
  
"You mean 'we' don't you?"  
  
"Honey, we discussed this. Your father isn't going to let us sleep in the same bed, especially when everyone arrives."  
  
"We've been sleeping in the same bed for the better part of a year; I'm not going to stop now."  
  
"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to."  
  
His jaw clenched. "Wasn't it you, not just two weeks ago, who said you never wanted to sleep alone again?"  
  
"Yes, but that was different."  
  
"How so? We won't be in the same room now. You'll be sleeping alone again."  
  
"I was also alone then, honey. I didn't have anyone. We'll still be in the same house."  
  
"I'm going to talk to my dad about that."  
  
Margaret turned and looked at him. "Don't you dare!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hawkeye, it's his house. We should respect his rules. It isn't all that difficult." He wasn't being very understanding.   
  
"No Margaret. He knows we've been living together..."  
  
"Look, I'm new to your family. I don't want them all to think I'm some kind of hussy. I want to respect your father's wishes when it comes to this. He's kind enough to let me stay there and he's done so much for us already."  
  
"Fine," he said. He didn't like the feeling of defeat.   
  
Margaret knew he was sulking, but he wasn't going to get his way. He'd just have to deal with it. "I'm sorry sweetheart, but this is the way it has to be."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Hawkeye couldn't see why they had to sleep apart.  That bed was plenty big for two people; there was no reason for him to sleep on the couch. After all, his father knew that he hadn't moved to Virginia just sit around Saturday nights playing gin.  
  
Margaret raised an eyebrow in frustration, he wasn't being very understanding. "You know if the situation were different I wouldn't want you sleeping anywhere else but with me."  
  
No one ever said that he couldn't slip in beside her in the middle of the night. What his father didn't know wouldn't hurt him. No, who was he kidding? Margaret would just kick him out again. "I know."  
  
Margaret knew he was unhappy, but she didn't know what else to say to make him feel better. She scooted across the seat and put her arm around his waist and watched as the landscape passed by. Hawkeye put his arm around loosely around her shoulders; they drove in silence for the rest of the way.

As they approached the town of Crabapple Cove, Margaret sat up and looked around. She was excited to be there. They would visit with Daniel that night and then the next day they would start to look for houses. Margaret had never done that before and couldn't wait to get started.  
  
"What do you think so far?" Hawkeye asked.  
  
"I've been here, you know."  
  
"I know, but when you were here you didn't have in mind staying the rest of your life, did you?" Margaret didn't answer, she just smiled at him. "You did?! We weren't even engaged yet."  
  
"I know. I wanted to marry you the day we left Korea. I don't think anyone has ever given me a better goodbye kiss in my life."  
  
Hawkeye laughed. "Same here."  
  
"We're almost there, right?"  
  
"Yeah. Another mile or so and we'll reach my father's house."   
  
The last time Margaret had been to Crabapple Cove was when Hawkeye was still living in Maine. He had put her up in a hotel so that she didn't feel too uncomfortable staying with his father and so that he could spend the nights with her in her room. He had thought about doing that this time, but Dan wouldn't allow it. He insisted that the two of them stay there until the wedding day.  
  
"I really hope no one is there. I'd just like to unpack some things, visit with your father and then crawl into a nice warm bed."  
  
"So do I, but I have to sleep on the damn couch."  
  
"Oh stop your whining."  
  
"Margaret, last night I sleep on a floor and tonight I get to sleep on a couch, all alone I might add."  
  
"Look at it this way. At least the couch is a step up."  
  
"I don't want to sleep by myself on the couch," he told her for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day. "I want to sleep in a bed, with a woman." Hawkeye saw the amused look on her face when he said that. "You know what I mean."  
  
"Baby, I know you're disappointed, but you're stuck on that couch until our wedding night."

"Not even in the middle of the night?" He asked hopefully.  
  
"Not even in the middle of the night."  
  
Hawkeye frowned and sighed. "What if it was just for a few hours?"  
  
"I already said we weren't having sex this week."  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes, "Just because we're lying in bed together doesn't mean we have to have sex."  
  
"But I know you," she said to him. "We'll start out just lying together, but before long I'll find myself pinned beneath you."  
  
Hawkeye shrugged his shoulders. "That doesn't mean anything. You've let me sleep on top of you plenty of times."

"Hawkeye..."  
  
He glanced over at her. "I'm not going to win, am I?" She shook her head no. He gave up for the moment at least. He turned into his father's driveway. "Here we are."  
  
"It doesn't look like anyone's home."  
  
"My father's here. He's making us dinner."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes. Ravioli."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Hawkeye put the car in park and turned the engine off. "He's a good cook. Better than me."  
  
She smiled. "Well, that's not saying much."  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "You're too kind." He leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Lets get out of this damn car."  
  
Margaret grabbed her purse and got out of the car. Hawkeye walked over to her and picked up her hand. "You can get the rest of the luggage later, can't you?"  
  
"Yeah." He had noticed that her hand was a bit clammy. "Don't be nervous."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"Are you hot?"  
  
That seemed like an odd question. "No."  
  
He grinned. "Then why are your hands sweaty?"  
  
She sighed. "Okay. I'm a little nervous." She had every right to be. She had left the only thing she had known her entire life and was now in Maine staying with her fiancé's father until the wedding day. They were buying a house, they were settling down. As much as she always wanted it, she was a little scared. Her dream was so close and she was afraid that something was going to happen to ruin it.  
  
They walked up the front porch and into the house. Hawkeye never knocked. He had grown up in that house. "Dad," he called. "Dad, we're here!"  
  
"In here," came the voice.  
  
Hawkeye held open the door and stood aside as he let her walk in ahead of him. He closed the door behind him and then took her purse from her and set it on the table. "We're not too late are we?" Hawkeye called to his father.  
  
"No, you're just in time."  
  
Margaret was the first to follow the voice into the kitchen and Hawkeye went right behind her. "Hi Dan," she smiled when she saw him.  
  
Daniel Pierce walked across the kitchen and enveloped her in a warm hug. "How are you honey?"   
  
Margaret pulled back and looked up at the older man. "I'm just fine, how about you?" She asked. "Is your knee feeling better?"  
  
Daniel laughed, "Oh you don't need to worry about me." He waved his hand in dismissal. "It's you we should be worried about, spending all day in the car with my son." He knew how those two got when they were around each other for too long. Either they'd get into a heated argument or overly touchy. He'd learned from experience to leave them alone when they got like that.  
  
Margaret glanced over at her fiancé; he was standing in the doorway watching the two of them. Her own parents didn't approve of their marriage, but his father had fallen for Margaret almost immediately. "Oh, he wasn't that bad," she said with a grin. "I only had to threaten him once."  
  
Hawkeye smiled good naturedly. "And I had to threaten her at least five times."  
  
"I don't believe that," Dan said. "Now come over here and give you old father a hug."  
  
Hawkeye walked over to his father and they hugged. "Hi Dad. It's good to see you."  
  
Dan pulled away and looked at his son. "You're looking a lot better than the last time I saw you."  
  
Margaret looked at the two of them oddly. It had only been two weeks since Hawkeye had last seen his father. To Margaret's knowledge Hawkeye hadn't had so much a cold. "What do you mean?"  
  
Hawkeye looked at his father trying to tell him to keep his mouth shut, but that didn't work. Somehow it worked when Dan did it to him, but never when Hawkeye did it to Dan. "Oh, you should have seen him. Between trying to get his business fixed and missing you he was a complete wreck. You'd think he had been gone from you for months."  
  
Hawkeye didn't want his father to say much more. Especially about business. He walked over to his fiancé and wrapped his arms around her. "I can't help it if I love her so much." He had been hoping that she hadn't caught what Dan had said, but he knew it was only wishful thinking.   
  
"I know, you told me a hundred or so times," Daniel teased. He walked back over the stove and took the sauce off the surface. "Hawk, can you grab the salad and put it on table?"  
  
"Sure." Hawkeye let Margaret go and picked the salad bowl up off the counter.   
  
"Is there anything I can do?" Margaret asked as Hawkeye took the salad out into the dining room.  
  
"Not a thing honey, why don't you go sit down."  
  
"Are you sure?" She didn't like Daniel doing everything.  
  
"Margaret," he gave her a look. "Go sit."  
  
Margaret looked over at Hawkeye and he nodded. "Okay." She took a seat at the table and watched the father and son pair work to get dinner on the table. They didn't get in the way of each other or step on one another's toes. Margaret was glad that she was out of the way. If she had tried to help she knew she would have been in the way. "Smells delicious, Dan."  
  
"Thank you." He stood back and looked at the table. They had everything except their drinks. "What should we have to go with this, Hawk?"  
  
"Wine. Margaret, you want some?"  
  
"Yeah. Sounds good."  
  
"Dad?"  
  
"I'll take some too, son." Daniel took a seat at the table and placed his napkin on his lap. He looked across the table at Margaret. "Now we can talk. You two walked into the house just in time for dinner."  
  
"I think your son planned it that way."  
  
Hawkeye sat down with the bottle of wine and three glasses. "I did not. It just worked out that way." He handed Margaret a glass and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I've never heard you complain about having dinner waiting when you get home."  
  
"Not having diner done sounds more like you."  
  
"Ha ha," he said sarcastically. He handed his father a glass of wine and then poured himself one. "She thinks she's funny."  
  
Dan smiled at the pair. It was nice to have some life back in the house rather than just him. "Enough before you two start fighting. Let's eat."  
  
Hawkeye grinned at Margaret and then unfolded his napkin and laid it across his lap. "Us fight? Never," he told his father.  
  
Daniel and Margaret chuckled together, "That's the understatement of the century."  
  
"I'll have you know we got along splendidly," Hawkeye announced. "Although at the moment..."  
  
Margaret tired not to look surprised; she knew what he was hinting to. "So Dan, do you have any plans for tomorrow?"  
  
Daniel was cutting up his ravioli with his fork. "I have some patients scheduled for the morning," he said. "So you two will be here alone for awhile."  
  
Hawkeye let out a quick 'ha'. "That'll be the day. You and I both know that as soon as nine o'clock rolls around we won't be able to keep people out."  
  
"Don't worry, you should be okay."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"I told them you weren't arriving until tomorrow."  
  
"You didn't," Hawkeye exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, I did. After a day of traveling I thought you two would like some time to sleep in."  
  
"Yes," Margaret smiled. "Thank you very much."  
  
"Sure. I didn't want anyone coming in here surprising you or catching you while you're not made up."  
  
Margaret was very grateful. "Hawkeye, why can't you be more like him?"  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes and took a bite of his food. He didn't even want to reply. "Mmm, Dad this is great."  
  
"Yours comes close. Margaret, do you cook much?"  
  
"When I get the chance. I haven't really had the time in years. I'm hoping once we settled that I'll have some time to hone my cooking skills."  
  
"You're not going to work?"  
  
Hawkeye looked at her and smiled. "We decided that I would go back to work and it was her turn to take some time off. She can stay home forever if she wants, or she can go back to work when she's ready."  
  
"You raised a good kid," Margaret said. There weren't many men that she knew of that were supportive of their wife if they were working.   
  
"He has his moments."  
  
Hawkeye sat there and listened to the two of them. Most of the things that they said went in one ear and right out the other. The food on his plate was too good to pay attention to anything but that.  
  
Around nearly half an hour they were all still sitting at the table. Daniel and Margaret were engrossed in a heated conversation over patient health care standards and Hawkeye was idly listening to them. "Excuse me for a second," Daniel said as he stood up and walked into the kitchen to pick up the ringing phone. A moment later he appeared in the door way. "Ben, it's for you."  
  
Hawkeye looked up when he heard his name. "Huh?" He'd been thinking about other things.  
  
"The phone."  
  
"Oh." Hawkeye pushed back his chair and stood up.

Daniel handed his son the phone and then took his seat once again. "I'm sorry Margaret, what were you saying?" They proceeded with their conversation, discussing how health care had seemingly increased since the last World War.   
  
A few minutes later Hawkeye emerged from the kitchen and disappeared into the hallway. After listening to the front door open and close repeatedly they heard his foot steps on the hallway stairs. "What do you think that's over?" Margaret asked. She'd caught the irritated expression on her fiancé's face as he'd left the room.  
  
"Nothing I'm sure," Daniel reassured her.   
  
Margaret had the urge to go after him, but decided against it. "I should probably go out and get the suitcases before it gets too dark," she said eventually.  
  
"You get my son to do it; I don't want you out there stumbling around in the dark."  
  
"No, it would be easier if I just did it now," she told him. "Besides, there are only two suitcases out there."

"No," Dan said firmly.   
  
"I really don't mind." She pushed her chair out and stood up. "It'll just be a minute."  
  
Dan stood up. "Why don't you take another look around the house and I'll go get them."  
  
Margaret knew she wasn't going to win with him, but that didn't stop her from trying. "You shouldn't be doing that with your knee."  
  
"My knee has nothing to do with lifting."  
  
Margaret looked him in the eye. "It'll be fine."  
  
He could see that she wasn't accepting that answer. "Fine. I'll solve this problem." He turned his head to the hallway and yelled, "Ben! Get down here and go get your luggage before your fiancé and I have to go get it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Get the suitcases." He hollered. Dan turned to Margaret. "See, I fixed the problem."  
  
"I see that." She picked up her and Hawkeye's plates and brought them over to the kitchen sink. "I can clean this up."  
  
"You don't know where things go."  
  
"I can figure it out." She smiled.   
  
"You're as hard headed as I am."  
  
Margaret smiled and started to rinse their dishes. "I think you can also say that for someone else."  
  
"Yes, he's my son; I'm not ashamed to admit it. Well, most of the time that is." Margaret turned her head and looked at him then, he had a big grin spread across his face.  
  
"I know what you mean," she admitted easily. There were times when Margaret couldn't get enough of him, and then there were times when she didn't want people to know he belonged to her.  
  
Daniel chuckled, "I figured you might."  
  
Footsteps could be heard on the stairs and suddenly he appeared in the doorway. "I'll go get those bags right now," he said as he moved to put on his shoes.  
  
Dan walked across the kitchen and peered out the doorway to watch his son. "That woman was threatening to do it herself," he told him.   
  
"I'm sorry," Margaret heard him say from out in the hallway.  
  
"Well, you just get out there and get them quick," Daniel told him. "My lord, would you just imagine her stumbling out there in the dark?"  
  
"I know dad, I'm going."  
  
Daniel was very old fashioned; it didn't take anymore then that to see it. That was one of the reasons why Margaret was so firm when it came to where they slept.   
  
Margaret didn't say much, she didn't want to get in the middle. She felt like it was her fault already. She didn't want Daniel to think his son treated her badly in any way. Even if she would have been the one to go and get the suitcases, Hawkeye would have yelled her. He may not have jumped down her throat like Dan did to Hawkeye about it, but that doesn't mean he would have liked it. Hawkeye always did the gentlemanly thing; when Margaret gave him the chance to do so. She was independent in a lot of respects and there were times when she didn't think anything of moving furniture around or picking up luggage. It was clear that Dan saw that as a man's job.  
  
Dan stood in the doorway until Hawkeye came in. "Bring them upstairs."  
  
"Yes Dad."  
  
"And don't put them in the same room."  
  
"I know."  
  
Margaret had her back to him as she concentrated on doing the dishes. She tried to hide her face as she blushed. Never before had she been embarrassed about her and Hawkeye living together. It was true that she kept it a secret from some people just to avoid the conflict, but it was never because she was embarrassed. Maybe she should have gotten a hotel room.  
  
Dan walked back into the kitchen and started to clear off the table. "That boy," he sighed. "I thought I raised him better than that."  
  
Margaret responded quickly. "You did. I can assure you that. The only way Hawkeye would have let me get those bags would be if he didn't know I was doing it and even after that he wouldn't have liked it. It's my fault, not his."  
  
Dan smiled. "I'm not angry at him. He should have gotten the bags in the first place."  
  
"We agreed they could wait. He was really excited to get here."  
  
"Honey, you don't have to stick up for him. I know he's a good man." Dan placed some dishes on the counter next to her and then leaned in a said lowly. "I just like to keep him on his toes so he stays that way. That stays between me and you."  
  
Margaret turned and smiled at him. "Okay."  
  
Hawkeye walked back into the room. "What's going on?"  
  
"Just clean up," Margaret answered. "Are you okay?"  
  
He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind giving her a tender kiss on the cheek. "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."  
  
"You left in a hurry, I ..."  
  
"It's nothing to be worried about." He gave her another kiss and moved away. "Anything I can help with?"  
  
"No, I'm just about done here." Margaret wasn't sure she wanted him around at the moment, she was sure he had somewhere else he needed to be. No, she wasn't having hostile feelings towards him; she was just starting to feel the affects of being left in the dark for so long. How could she help him if she didn't know what was wrong?  
  
"Are you sure? I can dry."  
  
"Really, I'm fine."  
  
"Okay, if you're sure," he leaned down and gave her another kiss on the cheek before leaving the kitchen.  
  
Margaret finished up the dishes and then went upstairs to unpack. She wanted to put on her pajamas and get to bed. It was only around eight thirty, but it had been a long day and she was tired. "What are you doing in here?" She was surprised to find him standing in her room.  
  
Hawkeye turned around and looked at her, he hadn't heard her come in. "Oh, I was just getting a few things. You know, that I left here from my last trip up."  
  
Margaret nodded and went about her business. "I'm just going to get ready for bed." She unzipped her suitcase and started to unpack.  
  
Hawkeye watched her, he felt like he was neglecting her in some way. This was going to be their first night apart since he had returned to Virginia. He walked up behind her and slipped his hands around her waist. Hawkeye breathed heavily and let his chin rest on her shoulder. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
"I'm not going to sleep at all tonight," he told her.  
  
Margaret continued to get her night things together. "I'm sure if you try hard enough you will."  
  
He tightened his grip on her. "You aren't going to miss sleeping with me?"  
  
"You'll be just downstairs."   
  
Hawkeye frowned; he didn't want to sleep on the couch. His father had plenty of guest rooms; the problem was he didn't want to have to change the sheets again once their friends started arriving.

"So, you're saying that you won't miss me?"  
  
Margaret placed some things in a drawer. "I didn't say that. I don't like to sleep alone either, but its not going to kill either one of us. Its five days."  
  
"Yeah, I know." He sat down on the bed and watched her removed her things from her suitcase and place them in drawers or on the dresser. "Can you do me a favor?"  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Don't go trying to do too much when my father's around."  
  
She turned around and looked at him. "What?"  
  
"He's very old fashioned, baby. I don't want him spending the rest of our time here yelling at me for letting you do too much."  
  
She sighed. She wasn't sure what to make of that. "Hawkeye, it's not going to kill me..."  
  
"Please. You can do all the heavy lifting you want when we're out of here."  
  
"And you'd let me do that?"  
  
He grinned. "Well, not if you were going to hurt yourself."  
  
"Hawkeye!"  
  
He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her down on his lap. "You know I'm kidding with you." He gave her a soft kiss.  
  
"You know what?"  
  
"What? You want to get out of here and go find a place of our own to spend the nights at?"  
  
"No." She said flatly almost as though she didn't pay attention to a word he had said. "You should have gotten those suitcases anyway. You said you would."  
  
"And I did."  
  
"Because you're father made you."  
  
He rolled his eyes and then rolled her over so she was lying on the bed. "I would have done it anyway. Just not at that exact moment." He moved to lay over top of her and gave her a kiss.   
  
"I know what you're trying to do."  
  
"I'm not trying to do anything," he told her seriously.   
  
"You're pinning me to the bed." As if he hadn't noticed.  
  
"We're just lying together, I'm not doing anything," he said innocently.  
  
"Uh huh, yeah..."  
  
"Believe me," he said. "If I were doing anything, you'd know it."  
  
Margaret remained relaxed; if she struggled then he'd just fight her more. "I think you need to get off me."  
  
"Well, that's the first time you've ever said that me," he said with a grin. "Normally it's 'Oh Hawkeye!'" He raised his voice in an attempt to mock her.  
  
Margaret pinched his arm hard, "Your father could be just down the hall!"  
  
Hawkeye giggled softly, he loved it when she got riled up. "He's in his office, downstairs. We're okay."   
  
She could feel his hand working up her thigh. When she felt it start to slide beneath her shirt she slapped it away. "Just because he's downstairs doesn't mean I'm going to have sex with you," she told him sternly. If Daniel caught them in the position they were currently in she knew the outcome wouldn't have been good.  
  
"Who said we were going to have sex?" He asked. "We'll just fool around for a while and then I promise to go down to the couch."  
  
"No," she said firmly.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because we can't."  
  
"Because you won't." He corrected her.  
  
She moved out from his grasp and sat up. "That too. You're more than welcome to stay in here while I take a shower. I would like a goodnight kiss from you."  
  
"Its so early." He sat up next to her. "I'm not even tired."  
  
"Yes you are." She stood up and went about organizing her things and getting ready to shower. "You slept on a hard wood floor last night. Neither one of us got more than five hours of sleep and on top of that we had a fifteen hour drive today. Don't tell me you're not tired."  
  
He felt like a child being told that he was in fact tired. "Margaret, I know when I'm tired."  
  
"I know what would happen if everything were under normal circumstances. You would start something with me, roll over and go to sleep without finishing it."  
  
"So why does it matter if I sleep on the couch if you know I won't touch you?"  
  
"Why don't you go ask your father," she suggested smugly.  
  
Hawkeye stood up. "I will."  
  
Margaret stopped him from moving. "Don't you dare!"  
  
"You just said I should go ask him. For once I'm doing what you tell me."  
  
Margaret narrowed her eyes. He was just trying to get under her skin again. "Why don't you wait here and I'll go shower?"  
  
"I have a better idea. Why don't I..."  
  
"No!" She cut him off before he could finish.  
  
"You didn't even let me finish," he said with a boyish grin. "You don't even know what I was going to say."  
  
"I know what you were going to say," she said as she collected her shower things. "And it's not going to happen."  
  
"What, are you a mind reader now?"  
  
"No, I just know you," she told him.  
  
"Fine then," he crossed his arms. "What was I going to say? That is if you already know."  
  
"We both know, let's just leave it at that."   
  
"I wasn't implying anything sexual, if that's what you're thinking," he told her.   
  
Margaret stopped what she doing and looked at him. "Yes?"  
  
"I was just going to suggest that I make us some popcorn while you're in the shower, then we could watch some TV on the couch." She was pretty sure that he had made that up on the spot, but it wasn't the worst idea he'd ever had.  
  
"Seriously?"  
  
Okay, so it wasn't what he was thinking at first but it was a harmless enough lie. "Yes. What do you say?"  
  
She smiled and nodded her head. "Sounds good to me."  
  
"Good." He gave her a soft tender kiss. "You know where everything is in the bathroom?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I can help you."  
  
"No thank you. I'll be fine. You just get us some popcorn and some drinks and a nice warm blanket."  
  
"Alright. Your loss."  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes and grabbed her shower things. She had everything she needed except for a towel and Dan had told her where that was. She knew how to work the water and wash her own hair, so she didn't need Hawkeye in there. She didn't need him pestering her or jumping in the shower with her.   
  
It was twenty minutes later when Margaret walked downstairs. Hawkeye was sitting on the couch watching a TV show. There was a nice big bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and two sodas sitting there. He had a blanket at one end of the couch while he sat at the other. The whole scene looked very inviting. She placed her hands on his shoulders and slid them down his chest. "What are you watching?"  
  
He turned and smiled. "Come sit down." He patted the cushion next to him. If he couldn't sleep with her and hold her, he was going to hold her as they watched TV. "You smell very good."  
  
"Well I did just get out of the shower." She moved around the couch and sat down, folding her legs up underneath her and leaning against him. "This is nice."  
  
Hawkeye leaned down and whispered in her ear, "It could be even better."  
  
"Well just think about it like this," she said. "It'll be so much better on our wedding night if we wait."  
  
Hawkeye put his arm around her, "Five days is a long time to wait."  
  
"What are you talking about? Every month you go without it for a week."  
  
"That means two weeks now!"  
  
"I'm not going to sit with you if you keep it up..." she warned him.   
  
"Okay, okay. I'll keep my hands to myself, mostly."  
  
She smiled and leaned into him. She didn't want him to keep his hands to himself completely, not that she ever thought that could happen. "When we go furniture shopping we need to make sure we get a nice comfortable couch."  
  
"Why did we bring ours from Virginia if we're going to buy new?"  
  
"You never know. If we get a house with a family room or a den we could put the things we brought in there and get new for the living room. Although, if we don't have enough money we could just use the old things..."  
  
"Do we have to talk about that now?"   
  
"No, I guess not. Maybe we should wait until we find a house."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"In that case, we should really set a budget so we knew that we can afford everything that..."  
  
"Margaret, stop. We'll look tomorrow and see what we find. We'll make all decisions from there."  
  
She smiled up at him. "Okay. Will you get the popcorn?" Hawkeye reached for it and passed it to her. "Thank you." She sat there looking at the television, but not really paying any attention to what was on. Her mind was racing with things that she had to get done. If she hadn't been so tired it would have been very difficult to just sit there with Hawkeye.  
  
When a commercial came on Hawkeye turned and looked at her. "You still with me?"  
  
"Yeah."   
  
"You didn't laugh at all? Don't you like this show?"  
  
In all honestly she didn't know what she was watching. "Oh no. I like it."  
  
He gave her a kiss and then grabbed the blanket and pulled it over the two of them. "This better?"  
  
"Yeah." She handed him the popcorn bowl and he placed it back on the table. When he sat back she wrapped her arms around his torso and snuggled into him. "I like this better."  
  
"I know what would make this better..."  
  
"Pierce, knock it off, you're ruining the moment."  
  
Hawkeye smiled and rubbed her back softly. "I'm sorry, you know how I get when I'm tired."  
  
"Well, maybe I should go up to bed then." She sat up and pretended to get ready to leave.  
  
"No!" He exclaimed and pulled her back to him. "You can't leave me just yet."  
  
Margaret relaxed against him again, she wasn't ready to go at that exact moment. "I'll have to go eventually, I don't want to fall asleep down here."  
  
"You make falling asleep in my arms sound like a bad thing."  
  
Margaret groaned, "We've been over this."  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes, "I can always carry you upstairs."  
  
She shook her head as she yawned. "No, I'll just go when I can't keep my eyes open any longer."  
  
"That's not saying much," he mumbled.  
  
Margaret had heard him. "I'm sorry. I'm tired."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She sighed and relaxed. "Your show is back on."  
  
Hawkeye sat back and relaxed focusing on the TV in front of him. After a few minutes he felt his fiancé completely relax against him. He looked down at her and saw that she was sleeping. He let her be until the show ended and then stood up. She didn't open her eyes at all, so he scooped her up in his arms.   
  
"Mmm," she moaned.  
  
"Shh." At the sound of his voice she wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed herself to be carried away. Hawkeye brought her upstairs and into the bedroom she was staying in. He laid her down and covered her up. "Night, honey."  
  
"Goodnight," she mumbled.  
  
Hawkeye gave her a kiss on the forehead and then left the room. When he walked out into the hallway his father was there. "Are you..."  
  
"Shh," Hawkeye said. "She's asleep."  
  
"Oh, good." Daniel knew his son and knew that he would be trying everything he could think of to sleep in the same bed as Margaret. "Come downstairs with me."   
  
"Dad, I'm not going to sleep in there."  
  
"I didn't say that, did I? I just wanted you to come with me." Hawkeye sighed and nodded in understanding. The two men walked quietly down the stairs and into the living room. "She's a good woman," Daniel said as he took a seat in his chair and Hawkeye sat adjacent to him on the couch. "I couldn't be any happier for you."  
  
"Thank you." Hawkeye appreciated his sentiment.  
  
"She reminds me a great deal of your mother," the older man said softly as he stared at the floor. Hawkeye smiled to himself, he'd thought the same thing once or twice. "You make sure you treat her well."  
  
Hawkeye knew where this was coming from, he was thinking about how things were before his mother died. "I will."  
  
Daniel looked up and smiled at his son. "I know you will, you're a good boy."  
  
Hawkeye smiled brightly. "Even if I let her do too much?"  
  
"Yep. Are you two planning on giving me grandchildren?"  
  
"In the future. Why?" Hawkeye didn't know what his father really wanted to speak to him about. He was a little confused.   
  
"I'll let you in on a little secret. That woman up there is going to bear your children, take care of them, raise them. Basically she'll be the center of their universe for a long time. When you see her carrying your first child you're going to realize how fragile she is. You're not going to want her to do anything that you could do for her."  
  
"Dad, Margaret's a strong woman. She wouldn't allow me to treat her like an invalid."  
  
"That's not what I'm saying."  
  
"And I know that, but I also know her. She's going to take that as an insult. With her, you can't help her until she's ready to be helped."  
  
"Ben, I know what you're saying. You just promise me that you'll continue opening doors for her, carrying her to bed when she falls asleep on the couch, helping her dry the dinner dishes, all of that."  
  
Hawkeye smiled at his father. "I promise Dad."  
  
"Hawk, you better not be taking this as a joke."  
  
"Dad, I'm not." Inside Hawkeye was chuckling, but he didn't want his father to see that. "I love her with all my heart. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her and she knows that. I don't mistreat her anymore than you ever mistreated Mom."  
  
"Good."  
  
"You were a great example."   
  
Dan smiled. It wasn't often that his son complimented him in front of him. Dan knew that Hawkeye spoke highly of him, but hearing it from his son's voice was better than hearing it from someone else. "You must be tired. I'll let you get some sleep."  
  
Hawkeye watched his father stand to his feet. "Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight, and stay out of Margaret's room."  
  
"Dad!"  
  
Daniel chuckled and walked to the stairs. "You think I'm kidding, but I'm not."  
  
"I know," Hawkeye said.  
  
"I should be home around one o'clock tomorrow," he told him. "I'll be gone when you wake up."  
  
"Okay, goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight son."  
  
Daniel walked up stairs and left Hawkeye alone in the living room. He made up the couch and then settled down. It wasn't the same without Margaret, he could never sleep without her next to him. Finally, nearly an hour later he drifted off to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Margaret was half awake and tried to roll over in bed, but there was something that was preventing her from doing so. She opened her eyes slowly and found that her face was pressed against Hawkeye's chest. His arms were what was preventing her from moving. "Hawkeye," she mumbled.  
  
"Hmm?" He moaned.  
  
She closed her eyes and didn't say another word. There was no use in trying to kick him out of her bed now. Dan was gone to work and it was just the two of them in the house. She felt bad that he had to sleep on the couch and knew that he couldn't have slept well. She felt better with him by her side anyway. She moved closer to him and went back to sleep.  
  
Having Hawkeye's arms wrapped around her made her feel more relaxed and secure. She hadn't slept too well in that strange house without him. It may have been his childhood home, but to her it was a creaking old New England home. With Hawkeye there next to her he made it feel more like a home and less like a strange place. It was too bad that Daniel wouldn't allow them to sleep together, but she understood. She would never think to disregard his wishes.   
  
Margaret slept for another hour and then opened her eyes again. She turned her head and glanced at the clock, it was almost ten thirty. Beside her Hawkeye was still sleeping peacefully. He probably hadn't slept at all on the couch, maybe it was a good thing Daniel had gone to work for the morning. "It's okay, he'll be gone until one," a soft voice muttered into her ear. "You can relax."  
  
"You better be sure about that."  
  
"Don't worry, I am," he breathed.  
  
Margaret wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him warmly. "Thirty more minutes and then we have to get up."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
He started to place light kisses on her neck. "Hawk, don't even think about it."  
  
"I didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"Spare me." She gave him a kiss on the lips and then buried her head in him. His body was warm and comfortable. She closed her eyes and fell asleep once again. It was just too easy when his arms were wrapped around her.  
  
Hawkeye smiled to himself. Maybe he wasn't going to have sex, but he did make his way into bed with her. At least he won in some aspect. His father would never be the wiser, or so he thought. Daniel wasn't stupid and he knew his son well. He would bet his life on it that Hawkeye ran upstairs after he heard his father's car start.  
  
Margaret woke up more than an hour later. Her back was to the clock so she nudged Hawkeye instead. "Honey..."  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
He looked at the clock. "Noon."  
  
Margaret pulled herself up. "Noon? Get out of here. Go shower. No, I'll go shower and then you can shower. Your father will be here in an hour."  
  
"Exactly. An hour. Calm down. Relax."  
  
"We have to look at houses today, remember?"  
  
"Baby, relax."  
  
"It's going to take me an hour just to get ready," she said sitting up.  
  
Hawkeye grabbed her arm. "We don't have a set time. My dad's just supposed to come home around then. Just as long as we're not in bed together he won't care."  
  
"We need to look at as many houses as possible today."  
  
"And we will, but we can still have a restful morning."  
  
"I'm going to take a shower," she said standing up. She was acting as though she hadn't heard a word he'd said.  
  
Hawkeye rolled onto his side. "Didn't you just shower last night?"  
  
"Yes, but I need another."  
  
"Maybe you should let me go first," he suggested.  
  
"No way, I know how you are. By the time you get out there'll be no hot water left."  
  
"Fine," Hawkeye stood up. He walked past her and into the bathroom. "Then it just looks like we'll have to take one together."

Margaret followed him, hot on his heals. "Hawkeye!"  
  
"Margaret!" He mocked her.  
  
She stood in the doorway to the bathroom and stomped her foot in frustration. "Get out!"  
  
"No. My dad said we couldn't sleep together here..."  
  
"And yet you still crawled into bed with me."  
  
"I didn't hear you complain then." He turned on the water in the shower to let it get warm.   
  
"Pierce, get out."  
  
"Pierce, huh? That can't be good." He still ignored her wishes and started to strip. "You mind closing that door? I don't want the cold air to get in."  
  
Margaret stepped inside and shut the door. "You should get out. What if your father comes home and..."  
  
"Who cares? He never said anything about us showering together. Live a little." He walked over to her and placed a kiss on her lips. "I thought you liked taking showers with me."  
  
"I do, but not now."  
  
"Why?" His lips moved across her jaw and started to kiss her neck.   
  
She let her head fall back against her better judgment. "Hawkeye," she moaned. "You're going to get us in trouble."  
  
"That's okay." His hands moved to the buttons on the front of her shirt. "I'm marrying you anyway."  
  
Margaret pulled away. "Stop it, please."  
  
Hawkeye looked into her eyes. "If I keep my hands to myself, can I take a shower with you?"  
  
She sighed. "Fine, but in and out quickly."  
  
"I don't believe I've ever heard those words from you." He grinned widely.  
  
She gasped and then slapped him. "Hawkeye!"  
  
He started to laugh and then moved away from her before she hit him again. He got into the shower and under the hot running water. "You going to join me?"  
  
"I have to now." She started to strip down. If she waited to take one after him she would be taking a cold shower. She looked at the door trying to find a lock. "There's no lock."  
  
He peered out the curtain looking at her. "I know."  
  
She sighed. "You're going to get me in trouble with your father by the time the weeks out."  
  
"If you would stop procrastinating and get in then we might be able to finish before my father gets home," he said from the shower.  
  
Margaret pulled the shower curtain back and looked at him, she put her free hand on her hip. "Finish?"  
  
He rolled his eyes, he had promised to her that he'd keep his hands to himself. "Wash, finish washing up..."  
  
Margaret seemed to take a moment to decide, but eventually she got into the shower with him. "Hand me my shampoo please." Hawkeye reached up and over and then handed it to her. "Thank you."  
  
He watched her soap her hair as he lathered his body and then rinsed. Hawkeye washed his own hair and then pulled her close to him and kissed her. Knowing that she would object, he quickly let her go and got out. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked her.  
  
Margaret smiled, "No."  
  
Hawkeye smiled back at her. He understood her concern about having sex, but at least they could still act like the couple they were. "I'm going to shave," he told her and let go of the curtain.  
  
"Your stuff is still in the bedroom!" She called out to him.  
  
Hawkeye went to the bedroom. His old bedroom which had now become hers instead of theirs. She had made him pack his toiletries in a small black bag that she had bought for him. Normally he threw all his things in a small plastic bag, but not this time. He grabbed the little bag and went back to the bathroom. "You almost done? I need to use the water."  
  
No sooner had he said that then she turned the water off. "Would you hand me a towel?"  
  
Hawkeye grabbed a towel off the rack and handed it to her. She wrapped her hair in it. "Another?"  
  
"Please." She wrapped it around her body and stepped out. "Thank you."  
  
"Did you grab my things?"  
  
"No."  
  
Margaret opened the door again and headed back to the bedroom. She had all of her things in a small basket that she could carry to the bathroom and take back to the bedroom. Hawkeye was shaving when she walked back into the bathroom. She was glad that he was shaving instead of going scruffy. Sometimes that could be sexy, but she wanted him to look nice when they went out looking for homes. "I forgot to shave my legs."  
  
"You're not using my razor to do that." Last time she had done that she didn't tell him and he ended up cutting himself with his own razor.  
  
"I'll just do it tomorrow. I guess I have to wear pants."  
  
"You were going to wear shorts?"  
  
"No. I was going to wear a dress." She watched him in the mirror for a moment. "Maybe I will shave my legs."  
  
"Go ahead." He wasn't paying too much attention to her at the moment.   
  
"I will." She grabbed her own razor and some shaving cream and sat on the edge of the tub to shave her legs.   
  
Hawkeye paused and watched as she lathered her legs and then carefully began to shave. The way she positioned her foot on the edge of the tub and stretched out her right leg intoxicated him. He watched as she ran the razor from her ankle to the top of her knee in smooth strokes. After a moment he realized he was starring and rinsed off his face and dried it with a nearby hand towel.

He patted on some aftershave lotion and a placed dab of cologne on his neck. Once he'd found his comb and hair gel he combed his hair neatly and then took a seat on the side of the tub to watch her. Margaret smiled when she noticed the concentrated look an his face. "Don't you think you should go get dressed before your father comes home?"  
  
"Nah, we have time." He didn't even bother to look up at her.  
  
"I just don't want to get caught like this," she told him. "Your father would die if he caught us sitting together in our bath towels."  
  
"Margaret, we won't get into trouble, I promise. I'll be out of here and dressed before he gets home."  
  
"Just don't get distracted," she told him. She didn't want him to lose track of time and not realize his father was home until he could be heard on the stairs. Margaret scooted closer over the edge, "Can you turn on the warm water for me?" She was ready to rinse her legs.  
  
Hawkeye turned around and turned on the spout. He tested the water temperature with his hand. "I think that's good."  
  
"Thank you." She moved over to sit beside him so she could rinse her legs without getting water on the floor. Hawkeye looked her up and down, she looked so cute sitting there in a towel.

Hawkeye watched her rinse her legs off. Sometimes he forgot how sexy her legs were. She pulled the towel from her head and dried off her legs and feet before standing up. "Toss it in the hamper," he pointed.  
  
Margaret threw the towel in the corner of the room. "You have the toothpaste in your bag, don't you?"  
  
"Yes." He handed it to her and then put some on his own tooth brush. They took turns spitting in the sink. Something they had perfected living together for five months.  
  
Margaret walked out of the bathroom when she was finished and back to her room. Hawkeye followed her like a little puppy. "What time is it now?"  
  
"Twelve thirty."  
  
"We need to hurry up." She started to pick through her suitcase to find the right dress. "Oh shit. I need to iron this. I meant to do it last night when we got here, but I fell asleep." She looked at Hawkeye. "How did I get into this bed anyway?"  
  
"I carried you. The iron is downstairs in the kitchen."  
  
"Honey," she smiled.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Could you do your fiancé a big favor?"  
  
He rolled his eyes. "What?"  
  
"Could you get dressed quickly and iron this dress for me?"  
  
Hawkeye looked at her for a moment and then smiled. "Under one condition."  
  
Margaret tightened her grasp on her towel. "It depends on what it is."   
  
He took a step towards her and put his hands on her arms. "I just want a kiss," he smiled.  
  
That seemed innocent enough; she could at least give him that. Margaret put her hand on his cheek and pulled his face down for a kiss. They kissed for a moment or two and then pulled away and smiled at one another. "How's that?"  
  
"Wonderful," he smiled. Quickly he pulled her close to him again and kissed her deeply. Margaret gave into him for a few moments and then almost reluctantly broke the kiss. They'd agreed not to go any farther then that until after the wedding, but it was still nice all the same. "I'll get dressed now," he said as he let her go and turned to get his clothes together.  
  
Margaret stood there watching him. He pulled out a nice pair of pants and a decent looking shirt. She was very impressed. Hopefully he could wear a pair of matching shoes so she didn't have to dress him. "Since I can't get dressed, I guess I'll do my hair and makeup."  
  
"Fine." Hawkeye dropped his towel and reached for a pair of boxers. Margaret stood there and watched him for a moment not thinking of anything but what was in front of her. When Hawkeye had pulled them over his waist he looked at her. "Did you need me for something?"  
  
"Oh, no. I need to get my hair dryer though." She pointed in front of him. "Thank you," she said when he handed it to her. She had everything else in the bathroom so she was all set. She left him to get dressed.   
  
Hawkeye grabbed the dress she had laid out on the bed once he had his pants and shirt on. He went to iron her dress for her. When had he become so domesticated? She really did something to him. Never in his life had he ironed a piece of clothing until he moved in with her. He had now become a master ironer because of her. He had ironed her uniforms time and time again. He was beginning to wonder if she knew how.  
  
Margaret blow dried her hair and styled it. Hawkeye still wasn't back yet so she started on her makeup. Sometimes it was easier to have everything done and then when she slid her dress on she would be ready to go. Her shoes were picked out ready and all she needed was the dress and she and Hawkeye would be ready to go.  
  
"Honey," Hawkeye called up the stairs.  
  
"Is it done?"  
  
"I burnt it."  
  
Margaret darted out of the bathroom and to the top of the stairs. "You what?!"  
  
He smiled. "I'm kidding. Here you go."  
  
Margaret sighed and rolled her eyes. "You are not funny." She started to walk down the stairs to get the dress. "And where are your socks and shoes?"  
  
Hawkeye looked down at his bare feet. "Upstairs. Bring them down when you come down, will ya?"  
  
"Fine. What are you doing?" She took the dress from him.  
  
"Finding something to eat. Unless you want to eat out."  
  
"Doesn't matter." She headed back up the stairs and she heard his bare feet slapping against the wood floor as he walked to the kitchen. "Thank you," she called.  
  
When Daniel walked back into the house he found his son sitting at the dining room table eating a sandwich. He was surprised to find him dressed and even shaven. Dan had half been expecting to walk upstairs and find the two of them in bed together, but it appeared that he'd been proven wrong. "Hello Ben," Daniel greeted the younger man as he set his satchel down on the floor.  
  
Hawkeye looked up from the newspaper he'd been reading. "Hi, how was your morning?"  
  
"Hectic," was all he said and walked over to the refrigerator.  
  
"Hectic?" Hawkeye looked at his father curiously. He'd never known him to refer to anything as hectic. Hawkeye folded the newspaper and set it down on the table. "What happened?"  
  
Daniel poured himself a tall glass of milk and pulled out some left over ravioli. "The entire town came in the office today, asking about my son's wedding."  
  
Hawkeye wasn't sure whether to smile or look horrified. Both he and Margaret had agreed on a small wedding, the last thing they needed was four hundred extra people. "And what did you say?" He asked carefully.   
  
"I told them they'd have to talk to you."  
  
"You didn't?!"  
  
"They don't listen when I tell them that you're having a small wedding. You and Margaret will have to talk to them about that."  
  
"Dad. I don't want her stressed out anymore than she has to be. We have so much we have to do already."  
  
"Hey, it isn't my fault that you're having a small wedding. It's up to you to tell them, not me."  
  
Hawkeye shook his head and stood up. He started to fix another sandwich. "I guess I'll have to fight them off today. We're going to meet Jimmy and look at some houses."  
  
"If you're sneaky you may be able to avoid all of them."  
  
"I'll try."   
  
Daniel sat down at the table with his food. "What time are you leaving?"  
  
"As soon as Margaret eats. Speak of the devil." He smiled at her when she walked in the room. "You look beautiful." He walked over and gave her a kiss.  
  
"Thank you. Hi Dan."  
  
"Hi honey. You do look wonderful."  
  
"Thank you." Hawkeye handed her a plate with a sandwich on it. "What's this?"  
  
"Lunch. I'm going to call Jimmy and see if he can meet us somewhere so we don't have to go to the office." He kissed her on the cheek once more. "Your drink is on the table."  
  
She smiled and sat down. "You raised a very good son."  
  
"Thank you," he smiled warmly at her before he took another bite of his ravioli. "I was so lost after his mother passed away, you don't know what it means to me to hear someone that."  
  
Margaret's eyes misted a little bit, she'd never heard either one of them talk about Hawkeye's mother before. She'd known she'd died when Hawkeye was very young, but that was about it. "Well you did a very fine job."  
  
Daniel nodded, "He's a good man."  
  
Margaret smiled again and took a another bite of her sandwich. "Speaking of which," she said once she'd swallowed. "Why is he calling Jimmy? I thought that was all taken care of."  
  
"He's making plans to meet some place other than his office."  
  
"Why is that?" She took a sip of her drink.  
  
"I think maybe you should have him answer that question, he said it was a touchy subject between you too."  
  
Margaret could tell from the look on his face that Hawkeye must have just walked back into the room. She was right, within moments she could feel his hands on her shoulders. "He gave me the address of the first house, we're going to meet there," she heard him say from behind her.  
  
"Why?" She turned and looked up at him.  
  
"Did you want to see his office?"  
  
"Hawkeye," she warned.  
  
"Okay," he sighed. "Dad said that the town is after us. They all wanted to come to the wedding."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We're keeping it small. They're not invited, but I wanted to avoid the crowd."  
  
"Does that mean we can't go into town this week? Will the entire town hate me?"  
  
"No," Hawkeye said with a smile. "Don't worry about it, honey. Just finish eating and we'll go meet Jimmy." He gave her a kiss on the head. "Dad, what are you doing this afternoon?"  
  
"Getting the yard ready."  
  
"Wait for Hawkeye to do that." Margaret volunteered him. "You shouldn't be doing that on your own."  
  
"Yes Dad. I'll be back in a few hours. Take a nap or something."  
  
Dan rolled his eyes. "I'm not an invalid."  
  
Margaret looked at the older man. "Please wait for him. I'd like to see what we can do about setting things up out there. Wait for us."  
  
"Fine. I suppose I can find something to do."  
  
Margaret had finished her sandwich and stood up to place the plate in the sink. She gave Dan a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. We'll be back soon."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye Dad." Hawkeye grabbed his fiancé's hand and they walked to the door. Margaret grabbed her purse and the two of them got in the car to go meet Jimmy at the first house.  
  
"What was wrong with that house?"  
  
"Nothing, it was a nice house," she told him.  
  
Hawkeye smiled and looked away for a moment; he knew pretty well what she was up to. "Yet you didn't like it."  
  
"Who said I didn't like it?"  
  
"I know when you don't like something..."  
  
Margaret put her hands on her hips. "Honey, I never said I didn't like that house."  
  
"But..."  
  
She sighed; she knew what he was getting at. "It's too expensive," she finally admitted.  
  
Hawkeye smiled, he'd known that's what the reason was, she wasn't giving into any of them because she thought they were too expensive. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Don't worry about the money for now, we're just looking. If you like something, I want you to tell me."

"No, because you'll put us into horrible debt if I say that.  You're going to buy something too expensive and it won't work out in the long run."  
  
Hawkeye smiled.  "Stop worrying.  I won't buy anything without you knowing.   Your name will be on those papers too and I can't sign for you."  
  
"Honey, what good is looking at these houses going to do us anyway?   We can't buy any of them."  
  
"Just tell me what you like about them.   If we need to we'll ask Jimmy to find us something similar on a smaller price scale."  
  
"Fine, but I still don't see what good this is doing.   Seems like a waste of time to me."  
  
"Not to me."  
  
She sighed.   "I don't understand you."  
  
He gave her a kiss on the cheek.   "That goes double for me."

She rolled her eyes.   "We have so little time to find a house and here we are..."  
  
"Margaret," he silenced her.   "Stop worrying about that."  
  
"You haven't worked in a while and things..."  
  
"Margaret! Stop it.   What do I do for a living?"  
  
She looked at him thinking that was a dumb.  "You're a surgeon."  
  
"And as a surgeon I'll be making damn good money.  I don't want to live in a house that's less than we can afford either.  This is where we'll be living for the rest of our lives.  Who the hell cares if we have to pinch some pennies for the first year or so.  Eventually we won't and we'll even have a nice nest egg."  If she wasn't going to just take him at his word he was going to have to explain things to her.  Maybe it was time he told her the truth about a few things.  
  
It was about four thirty and the couple was walking across the lawn of their fourth house. They both agreed that they wanted a house with a large yard and plenty of privacy. So far most of the houses they had looked at had fit that criteria, Margaret was just hesitant to admit it because of the cost.   
  
"Are you hungry at all?" Hawkeye asked her as they walked through the grass.  
  
"I thought we were going to look at one more after this."  
  
"It's almost five," he told her. "We can do this another day."  
  
"But people are going to arriving tomorrow."  
  
"Margaret," Hawkeye stopped her. "Couldn't we just spend tonight together? With my family and our friends coming we won't get another chance."  
  
"I want to find a house. We're doing this together. Its just the two of us."  
  
"Fine." He was getting a little fed up of her not liking anything, or at least not being honest with him about it.  
  
"I thought you wanted to find a house today. You were the one that said it was possible, not me."  
  
"I know." He didn't want to fight with her at the moment. "Fine, we'll go to the last house."  
  
"Thank you." She was a little irritated that every house they looked at seemed a little out of their league, but she still wanted to look at the last house.   
  
"Lets get back in the car."  
  
Neither one of them said a word as they walked to the car. They were both upset for different reasons, but not angry. They didn't want to fight. They just wanted to get it over with now. Hawkeye wanted to get her alone later that night and talk to her. He didn't want to do it in the car or while they were looking at a house.   
  
Margaret showed a little more enthusiasm towards the final house they looked at, but Hawkeye knew she was just doing it for him. He knew she loved the hardwood floors, the balconies, the ocean front view; she was just too timid to say so. Hawkeye needed some time to himself, he needed to get his priorities in order. If they were going to get married and buy a house together, he needed to be totally honest with her.   
  
"Hi kids." Daniel was cooking supper in the kitchen when they walked in.   
  
Margaret walked into the kitchen and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "How was your afternoon?"  
  
The sound of Hawkeye's heavy footsteps pounded on the stairs. Daniel and Margaret turned to look at one another. "What's with him?"  
  
Margaret shook her head and went to set her purse down on the counter. "I don't know. I asked him, but he insists nothing's wrong."  
  
"Don't worry about it honey," Daniel said as he stirred his sauce. "He's just being his usual moody self."  
  
"I know he his, believe me." She took off her shoes and set down her purse. "I'll be right back, I'm just going to go change before dinner."  
  
"Take your time; it's going to be a while." Dan dipped his finger in the pot and brought a drop to his lips. "And tell my son that we're having company for dinner tonight, so he better snap out of whatever mood he's in."  
  
Margaret chuckled as she headed for the stairs. "Don't worry, I will." She walked upstairs and opened the door to her room. That was where she found Hawkeye digging shirtless through his suitcase.  "What are you doing?" She tossed her shoes in the corner of the room.  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" He held up a shirt and put it back down deciding that he didn't want that one. "What's a good color on me?"  
  
"Blue. Do you even need to ask?" Margaret started to go through the drawers where she placed her own clothes the night before. "Your father said we're having company for dinner."  
  
"Who?" He didn't look up in his search for a blue shirt.  
  
"I didn't ask."  
  
"You should have."  
  
"I don't know anyone. They're only names to me. What should I wear?"  
  
"How should I know? I don't know who's coming to dinner."  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes. She found a pair of white Capri pants and a nice blouse. "This should work."  
  
"Yeah." He didn't even look over at her.  
  
"And dinner will be a little while."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Should we make dinner for your father one night? This is two nights in a row that he's made it for us."  
  
"If you want."  
  
Margaret slipped out of her dress and into her Capri pants. Then she held up the blouse and looked at it. "This needs to be ironed too."  
  
"Dad will show you where the iron is."  
  
She pulled a t-shirt out of a drawer and slipped it on. "Your father had another message for you." She was getting upset with him now. He was giving her mostly one word answers, and the ones he decided to elaborate on weren't too hot either.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"To get out of whatever damn mood you're in!" She said with gritted teeth. She didn't want to yell, but it was tough not to.  
  
Hawkeye stood up and calmly turned around and looked at her. "What?" He didn't have a clue as to what she was talking about.   
  
Her eyes were narrowed and her jaw was clenched. "You've been in a bad mood all afternoon and I'm sick of it!"  
  
Hawkeye looked at her like she was crazy. "I haven't even said anything! Why are you yelling at me?"  
  
"That's exactly it; you haven't said anything to me! I'm sick of being on the receiving end of your cold shoulder."   
  
Hawkeye shook his head and turned his back to her. He started rummaging for his blue shirt again. "I'm sorry if that's what you think, but there's nothing wrong."  
  
"Nothing is wrong?!"  
  
"Don't get so worked up. "  
  
"Hawkeye!"   
  
"Found it." He pulled out the shirt he had been looking for and slipped it on. "This looks okay on me?"  
  
"Yes, fine. You're avoiding the subject."  
  
"No I'm not. There's nothing to talk about." He took the blouse she had in her hand. "I'll iron it for you." He gave her a peck on the cheek on the way out of the room. Margaret huffed, but didn't say anything as he left. She grabbed her makeup bag and headed for the bathroom to touch up her face and hair.  
  
Hawkeye walked into the kitchen where his father was cooking. "Hey old man. Smells good in here."  
  
"Your mood seems to have changed."  
  
Hawkeye grabbed the iron and the ironing board. "What mood? I wasn't in any mood, Dad. What's with you two?"  
  
Dan looked at his son. "Don't play dumb with me. What's going on with you? You have that woman up there on the verge of tears or screaming. I can't tell which."  
  
"Screaming."  
  
Dan chuckled. "Tell me what's going on."  
  
Hawkeye looked around and listened to make sure Margaret was still upstairs. "Okay. I haven't told her yet."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"She's trusted me so far when I tell her something is about business and she doesn't ask me to elaborate, so I haven't told her."  
  
"You mean she doesn't have a clue?"  
  
"Not a single clue." Dan rolled his eyes. "I know, Dad. I don't know how to tell her."  
  
"There's something I don't understand about this. Why is she upset? What happened today?"  
  
"She thinks all the houses we looked at today are too expensive. She won't tell me what she likes and what she doesn't because she's afraid that if she does I'll go and buy a house we can't afford and put us in debt we shouldn't be in."  
  
"Come clean with her."  
  
Hawkeye sighed, "It looks as though I'm going to have to."  
  
Daniel stopped what he was doing and looked at his son. "You're scared to tell her, aren't you?"  
  
With a slight nod he said, "In a way, yes."  
  
"Well, you already said she knows you're into something, she just doesn't know what. I don't think she'd be mad to finally be let in."  
  
Hawkeye leaned against the wall. "This is kind of a big deal; she's going to be mad that I kept it from her for this long."  
  
Daniel untied the back of his apron. "Don't over estimate her son."  
  
"I know." Hawkeye picked up the ironing board again. "I have to iron her blouse, I'll be back."  
  
Dan didn't say a word. He just went about his business. His son seemed to make a bigger deal out of things than needed. He was dramatic like his mother.   
  
Hawkeye ironed the shirt thinking the whole time about what he was going to tell Margaret. His mind was so far gone that he hadn't notice that he burned her shirt. He turned the iron off and headed back upstairs to her. She was back in her bedroom putting her things away when he got up there. "Here honey."  
  
"Thank you." She took it. "You burnt it!"  
  
"What?" He took it from her and examined it. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'll buy you a new one."  
  
She shook her head. "Its fine."  
  
"Let me iron something else for you."  
  
"No. I'll find something else."  
  
Hawkeye felt horrible. "No, no. I'll iron another one."  
  
"It's okay. I have something else I can wear with this and it doesn't need to be ironed."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes." She pulled out a pale yellow shirt. "I think I like this better anyway."  
  
"I'm really sorry."  
  
She gave him a small smile. "Hawkeye, I don't care about the shirt. It's just a dumb old shirt. What's with you?"  
  
He waited until she had the shirt on and then took her hand. He led her to the bed and they sat down. "Tonight after dinner I'm taking you on a nice walk. I want to talk to you privately."  
  
"There's no one in here. Talk now."  
  
"Not now."  
  
"At least tell me what's been wrong with you this afternoon."  
  
"Later." He gave her a kiss. "I promise. I'll tell you everything about me that you ever wanted to know."  
  
"Everything?"  
  
"Yes, but you have to wait for tonight."  
  
Margaret didn't understand why he couldn't tell her then, but if that's what he wanted then she could wait. "All right, I'll wait."  
  
Hawkeye gave her another kiss, "I'm sorry for getting you upset."  
  
"Don't worry about it." She put her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. "I just get worried about you." They sat in each other's arms for a little while longer. Finally Margaret said, "Although I am a little angry that you burned my blouse."  
  
He lifted his head up off her shoulder. "I didn't mean to ruin it!"   
  
Margaret laughed and gave him a kiss. "I'm teasing you."  
  
"Seriously, I want to make up for it," he told her.  
  
"Stop it, its okay."  
  
Hawkeye pretended as though he hadn't heard her. "I'm going to buy you another one."  
  
"No you're not."  
  
"You don't want to fight with me," he told her.   
  
"You're going to lose."  
  
Hawkeye pushed her onto her back. "Don't make me ravish you right before dinner."  
  
"You wouldn't dare..."  
  
"I wouldn't?" His mouth closed in on hers as his body pinned hers to the bed.   
  
Margaret let him kiss her without thinking about another thing. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close never wanting to let him go. It wasn't until Margaret heard Dan's voice yell up the stairs that she came back to reality. She mumbled something to Hawkeye, but his lips were pressed against hers so he assumed she was moaning. She moved her leg and her arms and pushed him off of her. "Dinner."  
  
"I like feasting on you better."  
  
"No." Margaret stood up and started to straighten her clothes and fix her hair. "Your father called up."  
  
"Oh, dinner isn't done yet." Hawkeye sat up and grabbed her by the hips pulling her onto his lap.  
  
"Hawk," she tried to fight, but her smiling didn't allow Hawkeye to take her seriously.  
  
"He just doesn't like us up here together." His mouth moved back to hers.  
  
"Mmm, no." She stood up. "We should go back down there. Maybe he needs help."  
  
"Maybe he doesn't."  
  
"Maybe he does."  
  
"We're being quiet, it's making him nervous," he told her.  
  
"I think we should go downstairs and help him."  
  
Hawkeye tilted his head to the side, "I wish you were still wearing that dress."  
  
Margaret chose to ignore that comment. "Comb your hair before you come down."  
  
"You know, it's moments like these when I think we should've rented a room."  
  
"Don't take too long," she said as she walked through the door and down the stairs.  
  
Hawkeye sat on the bed for a moment longer and then got up and recombed his hair. When he was sure that both his father and Margaret would be satisfied he went downstairs. Both Daniel and Margaret were sitting on the couch chatting when Hawkeye came down. "So dad, who is it that's coming to dinner?"  
  
"Bill."  
  
"Really? No one else?"  
  
"No. I wanted to keep them away since they haven't been invited to the wedding. You know Bill, he doesn't care."  
  
"Yeah. He just wants to get a good look at my fiancé." Hawkeye sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "He's not touching her."  
  
Margaret leaned into him and could tell that he not only combed his hair, but he also put cologne on. "You smell good," she said softly.  
  
He smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You stay away from Bill."  
  
Dan rolled his eyes. "He's not that bad. Don't let Ben fool you. He likes Bill. Used to spend a lot of time with him growing up."

"Yes, and that's why I'm this way now."  
  
"Oh stop it," his father told him. Margaret smiled; Hawkeye could be extremely touchy at times.   
  
"I'm serious, if he touches her..." Hawkeye warned.  
  
"Will you knock it off; he's not going to try anything." Daniel looked at his son. "You're just being paranoid."

"Oh I am not. If you think..."  
  
"Boys," Margaret interrupted their debate. Both men stopped and focused their attention on her. She subconsciously scratched the back of Hawkeye's neck, "I think you're getting a little carried away."  
  
"You just tell him to settle down," Daniel pointed at Hawkeye.   
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes mildly and looked away. "It's not too late to call Jimmy up and tell him which house we want," he whispered to her. "I'm sure we could move in tonight."

Margaret smiled.  "You two are like children."  
  
Dan looked at her.  "We're giving you practice."  
  
"Ah," she nodded.  "I don't think I need any practice just yet."  
  
"I hate to tell you this honey, but you're marry a man that will be a child forever."  
  
"I already know that."   She leaned into Hawkeye more.  "He'll be a good playmate when we have children."  
  
Hawkeye wrapped his arm tighter around her.  "Why is Bill coming anyway?"  
  
"To meet Margaret, and to see you.  He didn't get to see you a few weeks ago when you were up here."  
  
"Yeah, I know.  I was a little busy.  I didn't get to see many people."  
  
"And we have to keep it that way for now," Margaret added.  "I don't have anything against all these people that want to come to our wedding, but to me their all strangers."  
  
"They won't be for long," Dan said.  "Once they find out where you two live they'll be knocking on your door for a while until the whole town as met you."  
  
Hawkeye looked into her eyes.  "I know all of them and I don't want them there either. This wedding isn't for them. It's for us."  
  
Dan didn't feel the same way as the two of them. Hawkeye was his only child and he was hoping that he would have a big wedding and would be able to invite the whole town, but that wasn't going to happen. On the other hand Dan was just happy that Hawkeye was getting married. "Bill should be here soon and dinner's almost done. I'll go set the table."  
  
"No," Margaret said. "I'll do it."  
  
"I'll come with you." Hawkeye stood up after Margaret.  
  
The three of them walked into the kitchen, Daniel checking the food and Margaret and Hawkeye collecting the dishes. "Set those plates right here," Daniel pointed to the counter space beside the stove. "I'm going to dish up in here."  
  
Hawkeye set the plates down as Margaret collected the silverware. In the dining room he collected four crystal wine glasses from his mother's china cabinet and then assisted Margaret in setting the table. When they were done he sat down at the table and pulled her onto his lap. For once she didn't fight him, but sat there and put her arm around his shoulders.  
  
"You're being awfully quiet," she softly said to him.  
  
Hawkeye looked up and met her gaze. He'd been thinking about how he was going to tell her later on that evening. "Maybe I'm just a little tired."  
  
She kissed her forehead gently, "Well the couch is always waiting."  
  
"You're not very funny." He hated that damn couch. It was worse than sleeping on the floor. At least when he slept on the floor he had Margaret with him.   
  
"I'm sorry." She wiped some lipstick off of his forehead. "Four days left now and you and I will be married and on our way to one of the most beautiful tropical islands."  
  
"With one bed that we share."  
  
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, in our bed together. No one to tell us we can't sleep in the same bed ever again."  
  
"I'm sure you're parents would try."  
  
"They wouldn't succeed." She looked away from him trying to conceal the look on her face. Her parents were a sore subject right now because they both refused to come to the wedding. Margaret knew her parents and she knew that they would forever try to deny the fact that she and Hawkeye were married. Even after children came they would still be like that.  
  
Hawkeye lifted his hand to her chin and made her look at him. "Maybe one day they'll come around."  
  
"Maybe," she said doubtfully. "I don't want to talk about that now. I only want to focus on the good for the moment. Later we can deal with all the problems, but not this week."  
  
He nodded. "Yeah." He was about to add another problem tonight, but he had to tell her. It was time and in all fairness he should have told her a while ago.   
  
They sat like that for a little while longer. Hawkeye kept his arms wrapped securely around her, holding her close. They talked softly but said very little.  
  
"Ben, get the door!" Daniel called when the doorbell rang.  
  
"That'll be Bill," Hawkeye said lightly in her ear. Margaret rose to her feet and he followed suite.  
  
"Remember what I said," he said to her. "If he so much as touches you..."  
  
Margaret kissed him softly. "Then I deck him myself."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled and kissed her again. "That's what I'm worried about."   
  
Again the doorbell rang and he disappeared into the dark hallway. A moment later Margaret heard the door open and the introduction of another voice into the house. She walked out and saw her fiancé and another man shaking hands by the stairs. The shorter man turned and his eyes widened when he spotted Margaret. "Ah, this must be her!" He instantly let go of Hawkeye's hand and rushed toward her.  
  
"Yes, this is Margaret. My fiancé," he stressed.  
  
Bill took Margaret's hand and kissed it. "Its a pleasure to finally meet you, darlin'. I've been waiting for months now."  
  
Margaret smiled. "Nice to meet you too. Hawkeye's told me a lot about you."  
  
"He has? Don't listen to him. He doesn't know what he's talking about."  
  
"Not always."  
  
Hawkeye walked over to Margaret and wrapped his arm around her securely holding her tight forcing Bill to drop her hand. "Dad's in the kitchen."  
  
"I don't care about dinner anymore." Bill maneuvered Margaret out of Hawkeye's grasp and into his own smoothly. "Its this gorgeous woman that I want."  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "Sorry to say, but you can't have her." He pushed Bill toward the kitchen. "You're too old."  
  
Margaret smiled and so did Bill. "Old, but not dead."  
  
"I'm taken. Sorry." Margaret moved away from him and to Hawkeye. She put her arms around his waist and gave him a tender kiss. "You're too late." She was still looking into Hawkeye's eyes.  
  
Hawkeye smiled back and lovingly touched her face. He leaned down and kissed her gently, just as she had to him. She shifted in his arms a little so they were standing face to face as she moved her arms around his neck. Hawkeye had the urge to deepen the kiss when he heard his father's voice behind him. "That's enough, you two knock it off." They parted lips and looked around at the older gentlemen. Daniel had an unreadable look on his face. "Come on, dinner's ready."  
  
Hawkeye picked up her hand and together they walked behind Bill and Dan. Margaret made sure to sit close to Hawkeye at the dinner table, Bill had unnerved her a little bit. Now she knew why he had told her those things. "So Bill, how are things?" It was Hawkeye's attempt at conversation.  
  
"Just fine, just fine. The store is keeping up and we're having good luck with the traps."  
  
"Bill said he wants you to go out with him one of these days," Daniel told his son as he sat down.  
  
Hawkeye looked at Margaret. "Uh...maybe once we get settled."  
  
"Lobsters are really pulling good," Bill said. "It would be a shame for you to miss it."  
  
"Well, we're pretty busy at the moment."  
  
"Not from what I hear."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"The news about town is that your fiancé there didn't want to invite everyone. How busy could you be? The wedding is pretty small."  
  
Hawkeye eyed him closely, not sure what he really wanted to say. It sounded like he was insulting Margaret, but he wasn't so sure. "Since it's our wedding that makes it our business. We need to start our life together. We don't even have a house yet."  
  
"That shouldn't be too hard to get for you."  
  
"You ever bought a house?"  
  
"Not really." Bill had inherited his father's house and had never married.   
  
"Its not that easy. Dad would you pass the..." Hawkeye pointed to a bowl on the table.  
  
"Yep." Dan said before Hawkeye had to say anymore.   
  
"Maybe Margaret here would like to go out on the boat with me."  
  
Margaret smiled politely. "I'm not much for the water. I get sea sick very easily."  
  
That was news to Hawkeye, but he was glad to hear it. "No matter how many passes you make at her, she's still mine."  
  
Bill grinned. "Its still fun to try."  
  
Hawkeye rolled his eyes and shook his head. Bill was fine as long as women weren't around, and it was worse with Margaret. Hawkeye never liked men making passes at her, but someone that he didn't trust at all doing it was worse. "Baby, you want some?"  
  
"Please." Margaret held her plate out for him to place a roll on. "Thank you."  
  
Dinner was over and the two of them were walking through the along a darkened road. Margaret didn't have a clue as to where they were, but Hawkeye seemed to know where he was going. "You have an awfully serious look on your face Dr. Pierce," she said, breaking the silence.  
  
Hawkeye looked over at her and grinned, he squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry about all of that back there."  
  
"Don't worry about it, he wasn't that bad."  
  
"I'm surprised he didn't try to slip his hand up your shirt."  
  
"Then we would have had a problem," she laughed.  
  
Hawkeye let go of her hand and moved to pull her against him as they walked. "I love you," he said as he kissed the side of her head.  
  
Margaret melted into him and wrapped an arm around his waist. "I love you too."  
  
Hawkeye took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. "I hope you still feel that way in a minute."  
  
"Why do you say that?" She picked her head up and looked at him.  
  
"You'll see."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Hawkeye pulled her to the side where there was a nice grassy spot. "Let's sit down."


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Margaret allowed herself to be led to the ground. She had expected Hawkeye to sit down and pull her close to him, but instead he sat facing her taking her hands in his. She was beginning to become a little nervous. "Hawk, what's going on?"  
  
"Honey, you know how much I love you, don't you?" She nodded. "I would do anything for you that I could."  
  
"I know you would."  
  
"You know more about me than anyone else on this earth, but there is this one thing I've been hiding from you."  
  
Margaret's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What is it?"  
  
"You remember how I left you a few weeks ago and come up here?"  
  
"Yes." How could she forget? She had never missed someone so much in her entire life. "You said you left on business."  
  
"Yeah, and that's not all. There's more."  
  
"I figured that. You are a part of some type of business."  
  
"Not just a part. I own another type of business that has nothing to do with medicine."  
  
"So you have another income." That explained him always having cash on hand.  
  
"A pretty good income." He looked at her. She wasn't fully getting it. All that he had told her were things she had figured out on her own. "One that allows me to buy you these expensive things and buy us a penthouse suite for a week."  
  
Hawkeye fell silent again; he was trying to gather the nerve to tell her. "What about it?" His mysterious occupation had been plaguing her curiosity for months.  
  
"Well..." He lifted his eyes back to her. "It's kind of a big deal."  
  
"I gathered that." She'd never seen him look so stiff.  
  
"I...I..." He cleared his throat. Margaret sat there patiently; waiting for him spit it out. "Basically, I own a boating company," he finally said.  
  
"A boating company?" She looked at him.  
  
Hawkeye couldn't decipher her expression. "We uh..." he took a short breath. "We build large sailboats."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"It's a very good business."  
  
"I'm sure. There's more. Why couldn't you tell me what it was before?"  
  
"Well, honey. I make a lot of money. I wasn't sure how to tell you that."  
  
"A lot?"  
  
He nodded. "You know all the money Charles has?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I have more."  
  
Margaret's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She didn't say much she only stared at him. Was she marrying a millionaire? There were so many questions going through her mind. Why would he keep that from her for so long? It didn't seem to make much sense to her.  
  
"Honey, you still with me?"  
  
"Is that why we were looking at such expensive houses?" He nodded. "Why didn't you tell me? What if I don't want a big expensive house?"  
  
He hadn't thought about that. The houses weren't huge, they were just a little nicer than the average home. Nothing showy. He assumed she would like them. "I don't know. Are you mad at me?"  
  
Margaret had to take a deep breath, it was a lot to take in. "No," she shook her head. "I'm not mad."  
  
Hawkeye gave her a relieved smile and then pulled her into a warm hug. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," he whispered into her ear.  
  
Margaret hugged him back. "I wish you would have."  
  
He pulled back and looked at her. "I know I should have, but I could never seem to find the right time."  
  
"I knew there was something going on, I was just waiting for you to tell me."  
  
That made Hawkeye feel worse. She'd been so patient with him even when she knew he was up to something. "I'm sorry, I really am." 

"I know," she nodded.  
  
Hawkeye wasn't sure if she was putting up a wall again to hide her emotions or if she was really okay with it. "Do you forgive me?"  
  
Margaret could see how upset this was making him. He was punishing himself far more then she ever could. "I'm not mad," she told him truthfully as she hugged him again.  
  
He let out a relieved sigh and kissed her neck. "Would you like to see?" He suddenly asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
Hawkeye was quick to get to his feet. "Come on," he held out his hands and helped her up. "I want you to see something."

"Hawkeye, where are we going?" She stood to her feet and followed him.  
  
"I want to show you what I do. Besides being a surgeon." He was so glad to finally be able to share this with her. It had been eating him up inside the past couple of months. He had to admit that it had been fun at first to torture her with the mystery of it all, but enough was enough.  
  
The two of them walked through the woods where there was a well beaten path that they followed along. When they came to a clearing they were on stepping onto grass that lead to the sand that started the beach. Out in the distance there was some large beautiful boats. Margaret knew he had to have had part in building them.  
  
"You see those?" He pointed out to the water as they came to a stand still.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"My company builds them. That's where all the money comes from."  
  
Margaret smiled at him. He was really proud to show her what he did. "They're gorgeous."  
  
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. "Did you really mean it when you said you got sea sick easily?"  
  
She looked at him. "No. Did you really mean it when you said you have more money than Charles?"  
  
"No. What I meant was that we have more money than Charles."  
  
"This is a lot for me to take in. Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I didn't know how. I kept it from you for three years in Korea and it was hard to figure out a way to tell you that I wasn't a poor unemployed surgeon."  
  
She nodded in understanding. "I don't love you anymore because you have money, you know."  
  
Hawkeye smiled and laughed a little. "Good. I didn't want that to be a reason."  
  
"Its not." She moved to hug him and held onto him for a moment trying to take everything in. "Can we look at those houses again?"  
  
Hawkeye laughed and gave her a kiss on the head. "We can do anything you want to do."  
  
Hawkeye felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. That uncertainly he had been feeling had finally vanished. Nothing else mattered at all, his only main concern now was Margaret and making her happy.  
  
They took their time walking back to the house, talking and playing as they went. Once inside the door he followed her up to her room and shut and locked the door behind him.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked when she heard the lock click.  
  
"Just preventing the inevitable," he replied.  
  
Margaret smiled and started to take off her sandals. "You're not staying here tonight."  
  
Hawkeye walked across the room and sat down on the bed. "I know that."  
  
"Then what are you doing in here?"  
  
"It's only nine o'clock, it's not that time."  
  
Margaret took off her watch and started to remove the rest of her jewelry. "I'm going to get ready for bed now," she gave him a knowing look.  
  
Hawkeye shrugged his shoulders. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."  
  
"Fine, but you don't get off that bed," she directed. She knew what he was up to.  
  
"Fine."  
  
Margaret gave him one last glance and then started to take off her shirt. It wasn't until she was completely undressed and pulling her pajamas out of the drawer that she felt him place his hands on her hips and his lips on her lower neck. "Hawk, no."  
  
"Mmm," he wasn't listening.  
  
Margaret moved away from him and quickly slipped on her nightgown. "No Hawkeye. You're not doing anything." She walked over to the door and opened it. "Out."  
  
"But Margaret..."  
  
"No!" She said firmly. "Don't make me call your father on you."  
  
"Baby, please. I'll be fast. He'll never know what we're up to."  
  
"Get out."  
  
Hawkeye eyed her for a moment trying to decide whether he could break through her barriers or not. After only three seconds he knew that he couldn't win this one. "You're not really going to go to sleep now, are you?"  
  
"I didn't sleep well last night."  
  
"Yes, but you did this morning. We slept until noon."  
  
"We won't be able to now. Your father will be here and we have a lot we have to do. Besides, I want to get a good look at a couple of those houses we saw."  
  
"I don't want to sleep on the couch."  
  
"So sleep on the floor." She leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Goodnight, Hawkeye."  
  
"Why are you going to bed now? You can't possibly be tired."  
  
"I am. I've had a long day, and we have an even longer one in front of us. I love you." She gave him another kiss and pushed him out the door.  
  
Hawkeye cringed when he heard the door shut behind him. For a moment he stood poised in the middle of the hallway with his hands on his hips. He could understand where she was coming from, but it was so damn frustrating! They'd only been there for two days and he was already wishing they were some place else.  
  
"Benjamin," Hawkeye turned and found his father standing behind him. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Hawkeye wasn't about to tell his father about this particular problem. "No," he shook his head. "I was just thinking."  
  
"Well, I suggest you quit standing in the hallway and take it downstairs."  
  
Hawkeye hated it when his father gave him directions. "I was just going down there now."  
  
Daniel eyed his son, he wasn't moving. "Well?"  
  
"I'm going," Hawkeye breathed as he started down the stairs.  
  
"Goodnight Son," Dan called.  
  
"Night," Hawkeye mumbled on his way down.  
  
Dan walked to his own bedroom just down the hall. His son was something else and he needed to keep an eye on him all the time. It would have been a whole lot easier had he let Margaret stay at a hotel again, but then he knew Hawkeye would be over there and if word got around town that the two of them were staying together Dan didn't know what he would do. It would be very embarrassing. As it was now, no one knew that they had lived together. Hawkeye had always kept things private.  
  
That night Margaret slept like a baby in her bed. In a way Hawkeye's news had lifted a great weight of her shoulders. At least now she wouldn't have to worry about the money end of things. Now she could concentrate on the details of a wedding and finding a house. There were a few that she saw that day that she loved, but she never really took a good look at them because she didn't want to fall in love with a house that she couldn't afford to buy. If Hawkeye had told her earlier it would have been easier and they might have been new home owners by now.  
  
Hawkeye was a different story that night. He started out on the couch, but tossed and turned looking for something more comfortable. What he found out was that there was no comfortable spot on that couch. He ended up moving to the den, but that couch was too hard for him. It would have been a lot easier if he would have been able to crawl in bed with Margaret but his father would kill him if he ever found out. There was always that thought of the guest room his father said was off limits to him. By the time that three o'clock came around Hawkeye decided that he was going to break one of his father's stupid rules. If he went to bed with Margaret he would be in trouble from both of them, so he went with the lesser of two evils and went to the guest bedroom. He'd just put new sheets on the bed later.

Hawkeye smiled into his pillow, she knew how to hit just the right spots. If only she'd scratch a little higher. He suddenly sat up, turning around and coming face to face with no one other then his fiancé. "Margaret?" He blinked at her through blurry eyes.  
  
Margaret grinned at his tousled hair. "Here's where you went," she said softly.  
  
Hawkeye rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?" He glanced at the clock on the night stand.  
  
"Time for you to get up," she said pulling the sheets back. "What are you doing in here?"  
  
"I swear, every spring in that couch was out to get me," he groaned as he came to sit on the edge of the bed.  
  
"What about your father?"  
  
Hawkeye waved his hand as he stood up, "I'll change the sheets."  
  
"Well hurry up, your father's making breakfast. As soon as we're done eating we're going out to look at those houses again."  
  
Hawkeye nodded and scratched his face. "I'll be right there."  
  
She gave him a kiss and stood up. "Don't forget to brush your teeth before you come down."  
  
"I'm not a child," he called to her.  
  
"I know." She smiled back at him. "Hurry and get dressed so we can go buy our house today."  
  
He smiled at her. "I'll be right down."  
  
Margaret blew him a kiss and then she left the room. She headed back to the kitchen where Daniel was just finishing up the cooking. "Hey honey. Where is he?" Dan asked.  
  
"He's in the guest room."  
  
Dan shook his head. "I told that boy to stay out of there. We have people coming in later today that will be staying in there. Now I'll have to wash the sheets and make the bed."  
  
"Don't be mad at him. He couldn't sleep on that couch. I'll make the bed while he's in the shower after breakfast. You don't need to worry about that."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"I'll take care of him now. You don't have to do that anymore." Margaret gave the man a kiss on the cheek. "Okay?"  
  
He smiled and nodded. "Sounds wonderful to me."  
  
"Good. Now why don't you sit down and I'll serve breakfast?"  
  
"I'll do it."  
  
"No. I will." She took him by the hand and led him to sit at the kitchen table. "What would you like to drink?"  
  
"There's some orange juice in there."  
  
"Hawkeye's just like that. He always wants orange juice in the morning."  
  
It was then that he walked into the kitchen. He patted his father on the shoulder and walked over to Margaret giving her another kiss. "How was that?"  
  
"Better." She smiled and handed him two glasses of orange juice. "Have a seat."  
  
"Morning Son. Going out looking for houses today?"  
  
"No, we looked yesterday. Today we're buying. We need a place to come home to when we get back from our honeymoon."  
  
"Darn right," Daniel said before he took a sip of his juice. "I don't want you two carrying on in my house."  
  
Hawkeye and Margaret exchanged an alarmed look. "Dad!"  
  
"Oh knock it off; it's hard enough to keep you two away from each other as it is." 

Hawkeye rolled his eyes; he couldn't have been any farther from the truth. Margaret hadn't let him touch her in three days. He hadn't even had a decent kiss since they left Virginia.

"Breakfast is served," Margaret announced as she set the plate of eggs on the table.  
  
"Baby could you get some napkins?" Hawkeye asked as he accepted the plate of bacon.  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot." She quickly turned on her heel and disappeared in the kitchen.  
  
"This looks good dad," Hawkeye commented as he looked over the food.  
  
Daniel picked up his fork, "You make it sound as if I've never cooked a meal before."  
  
"I wasn't saying that."  
  
At that moment Margaret walked back into the room. She handed both him and Daniel a napkin. "Thank you sweetheart."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She looked over the table to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. When she was satisfied that she'd grabbed it all she took her seat. "This looks wonderful Daniel," she smiled at him.  
  
"Well, thank you honey," he beamed at her.  
  
They took turns dishing up food and then started to eat. Hawkeye didn't touch his eggs at first, he kept looking at hers. They hadn't eaten off each others plates in almost three days. He felt a little sad that she wouldn't be pestering him for his eggs instead of her own.

When they were done eating breakfast Margaret cleaned up the kitchen after she sent Hawkeye to take his shower. When she was done with that she went and changed the sheets on the bed that Hawkeye slept in and then started to wash them before they left for the morning. She didn't blame him one bit for sleeping in that bed rather than the couch. Dan was a little strict on some things that she didn't necessarily agree with. It just didn't make much sense to her.  
  
Hawkeye finished his shower and getting dressed alone for the first time in days. It seemed odd to him because he had always had company while he was dressing or even just brushing his teeth. He took on last look in the mirror in Margaret's bedroom to make sure he was presentable enough for her. He decided to tuck his shirt in and fix his hair a little and then he bounded down the stairs to find her.  
  
"Margaret," he yelled.  
  
"Ben!" It was Dan. "How many times have I told you not to yell in this house?"  
  
Hawkeye grinned. It seemed odd that his father yelled at him for yelling, but he had always done that. "Sorry. Where is she?"  
  
"Washing your sheets I believe."  
  
"Okay." Hawkeye walked through the living room and the kitchen until he came to a small area connected to the kitchen where the washer and dryer were. The dryer was brand new. Hawkeye bought it for his father right after the war ended. Dan had always hung his clothes out on the line or hung them around the house in the winter.  
  
He found her standing at the dryer folding some of his father's clothes. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. "I don't think your son would appreciate you kissing me like that."  
  
Hawkeye pulled away. "Hey!"  
  
Margaret turned around smiling at him. "Oh, it's you."  
  
He narrowed his eyes playfully. "Of course it's me." He stole a quick kiss from her. "Are you ready to go? Jimmy said all the keys to the houses are in the mailboxes. He dropped them off this morning."  
  
"Oh, great." She folded on last pair of pants and then walked passed him. "I'm ready when you are."  
  
"Let's get out of here." He led her to the front door. She picked up her purse on the way. "Bye Dad."  
  
"Bye. Don't come back until you find a house."  
  
Margaret smiled at him. "Bye Dan."  
  
They didn't have to spend very much time to deciding which houses they wanted to see. Margaret knew exactly which ones she wanted to walk through again. It was down to two houses, each very lovely and each very expensive. She didn't want Hawkeye to think that she was taking advantage of the fact that he was wealthy, but she couldn't help but admire the polished wooden floors, the gray stone, large staircases, and of course the ocean view. They were both so perfect; she was having a hard time deciding.  
  
Hawkeye said very little as they walked through the open dining room. He was watching the expression on her face as she looked over the paneling for the twelfth time. Finally after several minutes of silence she stopped and turned, looking at him with a smile playing on the corners of her mouth. "What do you think?"  
  
"It's a lovely house," he answered simply.  
  
She squeezed his hand tighter, "I need more then that."  
  
"I told you before; whatever you want is fine by me."  
  
She hated it when he didn't give her a direct answer. "You have to have some say in this, this is your house too."  
  
Hawkeye stepped closer and kissed her. "Whichever house you want, I want."  
  
Margaret let out a frustrated sigh. "You're impossible." She turned away from him and moved to the window.  
  
"Okay," Hawkeye stepped up behind her. "Let's just take a minute and think about this." He placed his hands on her arms. "This house has everything we talked about. There are five bedrooms, three full bathrooms, two separate dining areas, two separate living areas, a den, office space, a library even."  
  
"Not to mention we wouldn't have any neighbors," she added.  
  
"Right, and look," he pointed out the large window. "That yard is a good few acres, and beyond that is the beach. Baby, we'd own a portion of the beach."  
  
She turned and smiled at him. "You really like this one, don't you?"  
  
He knew her well enough to know that she wanted this house. In all honestly he just wanted her happy, but he did prefer this house over the other she had picked. It just had a few more things that they both wanted. "I like them both."  
  
"Hawkeye!" She walked back into the breakfast area and looked out the sliding glass door. The back yard was so big and beautiful.  
  
He smiled and followed her. "This house is really big."  
  
She turned and looked at him. "You think its too big?"  
  
"You're talking to the leader of all claustrophobics. I don't think any space is too big."  
  
Margaret walked into the kitchen and looked around. There was so much space. She would finally be able to make Hawkeye a nice dinner. They could have dinner parties, and Christmas parties there. It was the perfect place for things like that. "What do you really think, honey?" She looked into Hawkeye's eyes. All she wanted was an honest answer.  
  
It was time for him to come clean. She was just torturing herself with it now. They had been in that house for close to an hour. All of the others they had just rushed right through. "I think that this is the house you want us to start our life in and raise our children, and even have our grandchildren come to spend weekends in."  
  
She smiled at him. "Do you want it too?" She breathed a sigh of relief when he nodded yes. "Oh, so do I." She rushed over to him and hugged him tightly. "I love it!"  
  
"Then this is ours." He gave her a kiss.  
  
"You don't think we're spending too much money here?"  
  
"Margaret, we're going to live in this house for the rest of our lives, you can't put a cost on something like this."  
  
"I'm serious; this isn't too much is it?"  
  
Hawkeye smiled, "No." He gave her another kiss. "In fact, I'd buy you a house for three times as much if that's what made you happy."  
  
"No," she put her hand on his shoulder. "I like this one just fine."  
  
"So do I," he gave her another kiss.  
  
"And we can sign all the paperwork today?" She asked eagerly.  
  
"I'm pretty sure that's what Jimmy said."  
  
Margaret smiled and moved her arms around his neck. She couldn't remember ever being so happy. "I love you," she said before kissing him.  
  
Hawkeye grinned and gladly kissed her back. All he'd wanted to do was make her happy and so far he'd succeeded. "Hey, we've got a while," he whispered against her lips. "We never gave dad a time."  
  
"Not on your life," she muttered back.  
  
He smiled. "Well, at least we're alone here, not one knows where we are."  
  
"People are probably already arriving at your father's house," she told him.  
  
"You and I haven't been alone for three days, let them sit for a bit." He moved to kiss her neck. "Besides, I know you miss this."  
  
She craned her neck back some more. She did miss that more than he knew. "Yes."  
  
"I miss you."  
  
She pushed him away. "We can't."  
  
He looked at her with pleading eyes, keeping her body pulled close to his. "We'll need to christen the house eventually. Why not now?"  
  
"No." She smiled and walked away. "Not yet."  
  
"When?"  
  
"When we get back from our honeymoon." She called over her shoulder. She was heading back upstairs to get another look.  
  
"Margaret, you're worse than my father with this. Don't you think you're talking this no sex thing a little too far?"  
  
"No."  
  
Hawkeye followed her back upstairs and into the master bedroom. "Well, I think you are."  
  
"You're wrong." She walked over to the large window that overlooked the back yard. "These are large windows. Do you think our bedroom set would look good in here? This room is awfully large."  
  
"I think we should put the other one in the guest room and we'll get a new one. But I want to keep our mattress."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Many, many found memories. Seems so long ago."  
  
"Oh brother." She rolled her eyes. She pushed passed him and went to another bedroom. "What are we going to do with this room?"  
  
"Put a kid in it. The way things are going now, I don't think we'll have any. You have to have sex to make a baby."  
  
"Oh, shut up," she smiled at him. She put her arms around him and started to kiss him. "I'm sorry, but this will have to do."  
  
Hawkeye pulled her tighter and deepened the kiss. "I don't think it will," he breathed.  
  
"You'll have to wait," she told him again. "Besides, we don't even have any furniture."  
  
He kissed her generously then, "I'd get my shirt dusty to save yours."  
  
Margaret's eyes widened in warning, "This isn't even our house yet."  
  
"But it will be."  
  
"We should go sign those papers before it gets too late," she said as she untangled herself from him. If she stayed much longer she knew she wouldn't be able to hold him off before long.  
  
Hawkeye groaned, "I'm going to go crazy by the time this wedding happens."  
  
"I promise to try and make it bearable," she gave him a light kiss.  
  
He raised and eyebrow, "Let me take another shower with you?"  
  
"I'm having a hard enough time holding you off fully clothed as it is."  
  
Hawkeye smiled, "I'll make it worth your while."  
  
"Good, keep that in mind for after the wedding." She winked at him and then started for the downstairs again.  
  
He sighed heavily and followed her, "You know, you and my father are thinking a little too much alike for my liking."  
  
"No one ever said you had to like it." She stood in the foyer and looked at the inside of the house one more time. "This will be all ours soon."  
  
Hawkeye looked at her. She was glowing from happiness. "Yep."  
  
She smiled and wrapped her arms around him once he got to the bottom of the stairs. "I'm so excited!"  
  
"Me too. I can't wait to get you in our bed in our room in our house that's on our property."  
  
"I know!"  
  
Hawkeye gave her a tender kiss. He put aside his wants and took her by the hand. "Let's go see Jimmy." Hawkeye had never seen her so happy before. "Maybe we can move in before the wedding."  
  
"Where would we find the time?"  
  
"Well," he opened the door and let her go out. "We'll have a lot of people around to help move things in."  
  
"I don't think they want to help us move. We're getting married in three days and we still have a lot we need to do. You need one more fitting for your tux and I need to do some last minute things on my dress. On top of that there are a ton of other details I have to take care of."  
  
Hawkeye opened the car door for her and after shutting it for her he got in on his side. "Then we'll have to take care of all of that after we get back from the islands."  
  
"I guess so. Maybe we should have come here sooner so we had more time."  
  
"We didn't have that option. Besides I want to get married to you as soon as possible. I want you to be my wife."  
  
She smiled. "Me too." Hawkeye put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. "Careful. Don't drive on the grass."  
  
Hawkeye smiled and shook his head. "We need to get this paved. That's what we can do. While we're gone we can have all that kind of shit done. When we get back it'll be all ready for us to move in."  
  
"Then we need to go to the hardware store and talk to whoever does some paving..."  
  
"I'll take care of that."  
  
"There's so much to do and we don't have enough time."  
  
"Who says everything has to be perfect when we get back? What's important is that the house will be ours and we'll finally be together."  
  
"I know, but I just wanted it to be finished so that when we did return we'd be ready to start our new life together."  
  
Hawkeye smiled and picked up her hand. "I don't need to come home to a perfect house in order start my life with you." He squeezed her hand lovingly. "All I need is you."  
  
Margaret beamed back at him and squeezed his hand in return. "I know wanting everything to be ready by the time we come back is unrealistic, but it would just be one less thing to think about on our honeymoon."  
  
"I can guarantee that you won't be doing much thinking while we're on our honeymoon," he said with a chuckle.  
  
Margaret smiled, the more she thought about spending a week alone with her husband on a tropical island, the more excited she became. "I'm going to hold you to that," she teased him.  
  
"Haven't you learned anything over these past few months?"  
  
"Ah, but you've yet to succeed to your full potential."  
  
"What?!"  
  
She nodded her head. "You know what I'm talking about."  
  
He shook his head in disgust. "Is that some sort of a challenge?"  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
"Fine. You just wait until our wedding night. You won't be able to walk the next day."  
  
"How romantic of you." She looked out the window trying to learn where their new house was. The town wasn't hard to get around, but she still didn't know her way.  
  
"I'll be the most romantic man you've ever come across in your life that week. Don't worry about that."  
  
She smiled. "Good. Oh, and you can't use your money."  
  
"So I can't buy you flowers?"  
  
"Not like that. I don't want you to buy me all kinds of expensive things."  
  
"But I love to show you how much I love you."  
  
"I want you, not things." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "But I am expecting a wedding gift from you."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled. "Do I get one from you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay. I don't get many gifts from you."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Its true. You never give me anything."  
  
"Well, I'm not made of money like you are."  
  
"Yes you are, baby. You have just as much money as I do."  
  
She smiled over at him. "Are you sure we have more money than Charles?" Hawkeye nodded. "You're not going to start flaunting your money like that, are you?"  
  
"Never! That pompous ass made me so angry when he did that."  
  
"I'm glad to hear you say that. We don't need to tell anyone, do we? All those people that hated us at my family reunion would be calling trying to make friends."  
  
"I'd prefer to keep it quiet too."  
  
"Good."  
  
Hawkeye turned into the parking lot of the small realtor. "Here we are. Let's go buy our house."  
  
Margaret glanced to her right when she felt something rub up against her leg. He was pretending as if he hadn't noticed, as if he were really listening to the others speak, but she really knew what he was up to. They were sitting so close that their elbows were practically touching, she could smell his cologne as she sometimes did when they were cuddled together in bed, there was no denying what he was doing.  
  
He looked at her briefly as he set his tea glass back down on the table. That wonderful, oh so familiar, completely benevolent expression was set across his face. When he looked away she felt his foot rub against her shin again, he was teasing her. Here they were, having lunch with old friends, and he was trying to get a rise out of her.  
  
"So then I walked back into the kitchen and there was Erin, asleep in her highchair..." Across the table from where they were sitting were BJ and Peg Hunnicutt, whatever BJ was talking about, Margaret didn't have a clue. She was too busy thinking about the hand that had now worked its way to her knee. "And I looked out the window and there they were! The same people whom we saw just a little ways down..." Whether he didn't think she hadn't noticed or was just being very brave she didn't know, his hand was slowly moving up her thigh. Margaret suddenly put her hand on his, preventing it from going up any further.  
  
"Could I get you another beer, BJ?" Margaret asked. She didn't want Hawkeye to think he could get away with anymore than what he was already doing.  
  
"I still have half of this one left."  
  
"How about you Peg? Is there anything I can get you?"  
  
"I'm fine thank you."  
  
Hawkeye looked at Margaret and smiled. "Just sit down and relax." His hand crept further up her leg.  
  
Margaret took his hand off of her leg and held it in her hand on top of the table so she could keep an eye on it. "Is Erin okay over there?"  
  
"Oh, sure." BJ smiled. She was playing under a shade tree in some sand. "She loves to play outside..."  
  
Hawkeye moved his hand off of the table and put his arm around his fianc's shoulders scooting his chair closer to her. The best thing about having another couple there was that it was okay to be touching each other. Dan was uncomfortable with it, but at the time he was in his office taking care of a patient. "She is a cute kid." Hawkeye said when there was a pause in the conversation.  
  
"Yes." Margaret smiled. She had been paying a little attention to BJ as he carried on about his daughter. Peg had tried to stop him at least three times saying that he was telling the same stories over and over again and that Hawkeye and Margaret were bored with it, but BJ kept going.  
  
"I'm trying to get Peg to agree to make her a big sister, but so far she says no."  
  
"BJ!" Peg didn't think that was appropriate to talk about in front of others.  
  
Margaret smiled glad that she wasn't the only one who would get embarrassed by what her better half said. At the moment she was satisfied with him as long as his arm was wrapped around her. It felt nice. "Don't worry about it Peg."  
  
"I just...I just don't know what to do with him sometimes..." Peg's face was flushed, she seemed quite embarrassed.  
  
Margaret laced her fingers through his. "Please, don't be embarrassed," she pleaded. "He's just as bad," she gestured to Hawkeye. After a moment she glanced back at her fiancé and studied his face. "I take that back, he's worse."  
  
Peg laughed and so did BJ, Hawkeye on the other hand pretended to be insulted. "That hurts Margaret."  
  
Margaret shook her head and gave him a kiss. "I love you, even if you do have a big mouth."  
  
"Well thank you, that means a lot to me," he kissed her back. Hawkeye looked at their friends. "You see what I have to put up with?"  
  
"I think she has a lot more to put up with than do." BJ said. "In fact I know she does."  
  
"Peg, don't believe a word these two say."  
  
She smiled. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go check on Erin."  
  
Margaret leaned forward and took Hawkeye's fork and took a bite of his pasta salad. She had been eyeing it for a while, but hadn't done anything about it. Hawkeye pushed it aside a few minutes earlier. When she sat back Hawkeye gave her a kiss on the side of her head. He didn't say anything though.  
  
"Maybe I should get the dessert."  
  
"No, stay here." Hawkeye said.  
  
Margaret smiled and gave him a kiss. "I'll be right back." She leaned in to his ear. "I'd ask you to come, but stay with our company."  
  
He nodded. He loved her so much and without sleeping together at night he felt like he didn't get to see her enough. He didn't get to wake up with her next to him anymore. "I love you." He pulled her down for another kiss before she left.  
  
"I love you."  
  
BJ sat there with a grin on his face listening and watching the TV of them. He had never seen either one of them be that dependent on another before. It was cute in a way, but sickening in another. They were very happy together, but sometimes they made everyone else feel very out of place.  
  
"Margaret seems very happy." It was BJ's attempt to break the silence. The two men were the only ones left on the porch.  
  
Hawkeye smiled brightly, "Yeah, she's something isn't she?"  
  
"You two been dating long?"  
  
"Couple months." Hawkeye took a sip of his iced tea. He wasn't in the mood to go through all of that. What happened between the two of them he wanted to stay between the two of them.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah," Hawkeye nodded.  
  
BJ wasn't sure what else to say. It was obvious that Hawkeye wasn't going to elaborate, so he wasn't going to push that. "Hawkeye, I must say, this is lovely out here. I had no idea Maine was so beautiful."  
  
That same grin never left Hawkeye's face, BJ wasn't even sure he'd heard him. "Yes it is," he finally nodded.  
  
"Listen, once you two get settled, you should come out and visit us. We'd love to have you."  
  
"I'll have to talk to Margaret about that." Of course it would be a while before they were ready to do anything like that.  
  
"Yes. I've learned one thing being married and that's never do anything without talking to your wife first."  
  
Peg came up behind him with Erin next to her. "That's right. Where did Margaret go?"  
  
"To get dessert."  
  
"Hawkeye, Erin needs to use the restroom."  
  
"Oh, sure. Margaret will show you where it is. Just go on in."  
  
Peg smiled. "Thank you. Come on sweetie." She took three year old Erin's hand and then went back into the house. The two of them walked into the house where Margaret was just getting some plates down from the cabinet.  
  
"Hi there," she smiled at the child.  
  
"Could you point me in the direction of the rest room? I don't want Erin to have an accident."  
  
"Oh sure. Down the hall first door on your left."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Margaret went back to her task at hand. She grabbed the strawberry shortcake out of the refrigerator and tried to decide how she was going to take everything out there. She was wishing she would have taken Hawkeye up on his offer now. Before she opened the door to go back out Peg and Erin came out. "Would you mind helping me?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
The five of them held a moderate conversation through dessert. BJ was grateful the women had come back when they did, he'd never seen this side of Hawkeye before, the assertiveness and calmness about him was almost alarming. As soon as Margaret sat down they instantly moved closer to one another and Hawkeye's arm was quick to move across her shoulders. They talked softly between themselves and occasionally took bites of the other's shortcake. Neither him nor Peg really minded their togetherness, it was just a little bewildering to watch.  
  
"Well, they are getting married," Peg reminded him later on when they were in their room. Maybe she was saying that more as a reminder to herself. She and BJ hadn't been that touchy, at least she didn't think so. "I mean, they're obviously in love."  
  
"I know, they're both extremely passionate people," BJ reasoned. "I've seen them act this way before, just not at this magnitude, and not toward each other."  
  
Back in the kitchen Hawkeye was washing the luncheon dishes and Margaret was assisting him by drying. Every time he raised his eyes and glanced at her he found her intense gaze already set upon him. "What?" He finally asked  
  
A smile played at the corners of her mouth. "We probably traumatized them."  
  
Hawkeye smiled back, "Nah, they couldn't have seen under the table."  
  
"I ate off your plate," she told him. "I haven't done that in the entirety of our stay."  
  
Hawkeye leaned over and gently kissed her. "I missed you."  
  
Margaret smiled and picked up the salad bowl and began to towel dry it. "I thought you hated it when I ate off your plate."  
  
"It grew on me," he told her with a grin.

She leaned over and gave him a kiss. "Just like you grew on me."  
  
"Hey." He took his hands out of the water and held them up like he was going to splash her.  
  
"Don't you dare."  
  
"Take it back."  
  
"Take what back?" She played innocent.  
  
"Margaret..."  
  
"Okay, okay. I take it back." She put the dried bowl on the counter and then handed Hawkeye a towel. "I don't trust you with this water. You dry and I'll wash."  
  
He smiled at her and they changed jobs. "What do you think is taking BJ and Peg so long?"  
  
"They said they were putting Erin down for her nap."  
  
"I think they're just trying to get out of cleaning up."  
  
"Hawk, they're not supposed to clean up. They're guests here."  
  
"So are we."  
  
Margaret rolled her eyes. "Just keep drying."  
  
"You know what I bet they're doing?"  
  
"What?" She handed him another large bowl.  
  
"Talking about us."  
  
"Hawkeye..."  
  
"No, think about it. It must be odd for Beej to see us like this."  
  
"I suppose. We're not at each other's throats."  
  
Hawkeye grinned. "I keep trying, but you always push me away." He moved in to kiss her on the neck, but she moved back. "See."  
  
"We're supposed to be doing the dishes," she reminded him.  
  
Hawkeye leaned against the counter and picked up another dish. "I can think of something else we could be doing."  
  
"You better watch it," she warned, lightly splashing the water so he'd get the picture.  
  
"Me? You're the one jumping to conclusions, for all you know I could have been talking about anything."  
  
"Yeah right."  
  
"You know," he said. "You're starting to sound more and more like my father all the time." Margaret took that as her opportunity and splashed him with the soapy dishwater. Hawkeye looked from his wet shirt to her and back to his shirt. "I could be mistaken."  
  
"I warned you."  
  
"Why is it okay for you to splash me and not okay for me to splash you?" He dried to dry off his shirt with the towel.  
  
"Because I make the rules."  
  
"Oh, that sounds fair."  
  
Margaret pulled out one last dish and handed it to him. "All done here. What time do you think your father will be back?"  
  
"There's no telling. Why?"  
  
"Well I wanted to make dinner. He's cooked our every meal since we've been here."  
  
"Yeah." Hawkeye was busy focusing on his shirt. "This could stain."  
  
"What? Its soap."  
  
"You'll owe me another shirt if it does."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "It's not ruined. Ruined would be like my blouse that you burnt yesterday."  
  
"I told you'd I'd buy you a new one."  
  
Margaret smiled and gave him a kiss. "You don't have to."  
  
"I'll buy you something else then."  
  
"I don't need anything but you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the lips.  
  
"Oh shit!"  
  
Margaret pulled back and looked at him oddly. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I have to go into town to see Bill."  
  
"Bill?"  
  
"Hardware store."  
  
"But why? We have company."  
  
"It's just BJ. He can come with me."  
  
"What about Peg and Erin?"  
  
"They can stay with you. You don't mind, do you?"  
  
"No. What do you need in town?" She really didn't want him to go. After getting the problem of a house over, she was very relaxed, and when she was relaxed she was clingy.  
  
"I have to fix steps on the deck. My father will kill me if I don't. I was supposed to do it yesterday, but we got home too late."  
  
Margaret wrapped her arms around him. "I wish it was just me and you. I'm not so sure I even want a wedding anymore. There's too much to do."  
  
"I'd take you with me, but don't you think it would be a little rude to leave BJ and Peg here alone? They did come in a day early just to see us."  
  
"I wasn't suggesting that we leave them here by themselves, I was just thinking about how nice it would have been had it just been you and me...for the whole week."  
  
Hawkeye gave her a kiss. "Next week."  
  
Margaret let her head rest on his shoulder momentarily. "I don't know what we were thinking, this wedding is going to be a disaster."  
  
"Just relax," he dipped his head and kissed her shoulder. "Enjoy the afternoon, let me worry for once."  
  
"You don't know what you're asking."  
  
"Listen, why don't you take Peg and Erin down to the beach for a while. It's a beautiful day."  
  
Margaret tilted her head slightly to the side as his lips moved to her neck. "It's a shame we aren't the only ones here," she said softly.  
  
"Now you say that, at the worst possible time," he groaned. Hawkeye picked up his head and looked at his watch, "I really need to go, he's going to kill me if I don't get it done."  
  
"Are you going to take BJ with you?"  
  
"I'm going to go ask him now." He turned to step away, but before he did he stopped, and without thinking twice took her in his arms and gave her a sensual kiss. As if nothing happened he pulled back. "Now I'll go ask him."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Hawkeye went upstairs and found BJ and Peg in their bedroom trying to get Erin to lie down, but she wanted nothing to do with it. That's when he told Peg that Margaret had agreed to take her and Erin down to the beach. That should tire the child out. BJ gladly went with Hawkeye. He wasn't going to miss a chance to see the famous hometown of his best friend.  
  
When Hawkeye came down the stairs he had Erin in his arms. He had made a new friend at the mention of the beach. "There she is," he smiled when he saw Margaret. "That's the lady that's going to take you to the beach."  
  
"Ready go now?" Erin asked.  
  
"I think I am." It was the first time that Erin had spoken to her. She had been pretty shy when they first met just a few hours before.  
  
Hawkeye sat the child down and leaned in to give Margaret a kiss. "We'll be back soon. If my dad comes home don't let him go outback. I don't even want to hear it from him."  
  
"Bye." She gave him another kiss.  
  
BJ and Hawkeye left leaving the three girls together. Margaret waited while Peg got a towel for her daughter. Even though the water was cold, Peg knew that Erin would venture in there or at the very least sit and play in the sand. At least a three year old was somewhat predictable.  
  
This was the first chance that Margaret had to talk to Peg. It was nice to get to know the woman that BJ talked so much about. She was very pleasant and soft spoken. Margaret had a good time with her and Erin. Although Erin mostly kept to herself as she played in the sand and picked up seashells.  
  
After nearly an hour the three of them started walking back toward the house. After all that time in the sun they decided it was time for nice glass of cold iced tea and a seat in the shade. As they neared the house they could see BJ sitting on the steps. Erin pulled away from her mother and ran ahead to her father's waiting arms.  
  
"Did you two have fun?" Peg asked her husband when they reached the house.  
  
BJ have her a quick kiss. "Next time you have to come with."  
  
"Well, Margaret and I were talking about going into town for lunch tomorrow. We thought you and Hawkeye might like to come along."  
  
BJ looked from Margaret to his wife. "That sounds like a nice idea," he smiled.  
  
"Speaking of which, where is he?" Margaret asked. She didn't see Hawkeye anywhere.  
  
"He went upstairs to change, he should be down shortly."  
  
"Oh. I'll get us some drinks. Be right back," she called over her shoulder.  
  
"Do you need any help?"  
  
"No thank you. I can handle it." Margaret disappeared into the house. She was tempted to go upstairs to find her fiancé, but she decided against it. Instead she did what she said she was going to do and got together four tall glasses of iced tea and one little plastic cup for Erin. As she was pouring them she felt arms wrap around her waist and a pair of nice warm lips against her neck.  
  
"I missed you," he mumbled.  
  
"Did you really?"  
  
"Yep." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and rested his chin on her shoulder as he watched her fill the glasses. "Did you have a nice time?"  
  
"Yeah. I really like Peg, and Erin is just so cute."  
  
"You're not thinking about having children right away are you?"  
  
Margaret placed the pitcher of iced tea on the counter and turned in his arms. "Are you kidding? You're all mine for a while, handsome."  
  
Hawkeye smiled brightly. "I like the sounds of that."  
  
"Did you get what you needed at the hardware store?"  
  
"Yes." He gave her a kiss. "It's all fixed. No one should fall down the stairs now."  
  
"That's good." She turned around and handed him the tray she had everything on. "Would you carry this for me?"  
  
Hawkeye accepted it. "I also got some things for you."  
  
"Hawkeye." She looked into his eyes. "I told you I don't want you to buy me things."  
  
"I didn't."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I grabbed some paint samples from the store while I was there. You can look at them when you want."  
  
"Oh," she smiled. "Thank you. Maybe I'll invite you to my room later tonight and we'll look them over together."  
  
"I take back what I said earlier, you are devious," he grinned.  
  
"We're only looking at paint samples," she told him. Hawkeye wanted to believe her, but the smile tugging at her lips was betraying her words.  
  
"Paint samples...a little necking....maybe more...." He gave her a vindictive smile.  
  
"With your father, your best friend and his wife, and their small child all in the same house?"  
  
"I can be quiet if you can," he gave her a challenging look.  
  
"You're crazy."  
  
Hawkeye leaned down and kissed her, "I have something tell you."  
  
"What?" She hoped it wasn't anything serious.  
  
"I'm sleeping with you tonight, whether you like it or not."  
  
That wasn't what she had been expecting. "Oh no you're not," she protested.  
  
Hawkeye shook his head, "I am not sleeping on that couch."  
  
"Well, you're certainly not sleeping with me."  
  
"Listen, I'll sleep on top of the covers if I have to."  
  
"Your father is never going to agree to that."  
  
"I don't care," he told her. "It's either that or I'll go outside and sleep in my car, and we both know how the wind comes off the water at night."  
  
"I think you're father will make sure you stay away from my room. He's been doing a pretty good job when he's here."  
  
"He's old. I'll get around him."  
  
Margaret placed her hands on his shoulders from behind him and turned him to face the back door. "Let's get out there."  
  
"Either way, I'll be in your room tonight."  
  
"Fully clothed, sitting on the floor."  
  
Hawkeye looked at her as she moved around the front of him to open the door for him. "I don't think so."  
  
She smiled as she stepped out the door and held it for him to get through with the drinks. "We'll see." Margaret loved teasing him. The way he was acting lately she was going to have to do something to make him keep his hands off of her. The trouble was that she wanted his hands all over her. It was hard to resist.  
  
"Ah, they you two are." BJ stood from the step with Erin in his arms. "My little girl was dying of thirst."  
  
Hawkeye put the tray down and Margaret grabbed the little plastic cup and handed it to her. "There you go, honey."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome." Margaret grabbed her glass and took a sip. She stood on the patio looking out over the yard. There was still a lot of work to be done to get the place in shape for the wedding.  
  
"Thank you Margaret," BJ said. Margaret didn't make any move to acknowledge him. BJ looked over at Hawkeye. "What's with her?"  
  
He shrugged his shoulders. "Margaret." Still no response.  
  
"Major."  
  
Margaret turned and looked at BJ. He was smiling ear to ear. "What?"  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Hawkeye looked at her not believing what she said. He pulled her hand and sat down pulling her on his lap. Unlike when they were with his father, she sat there comfortably. "What are you thinking?"  
  
She looked at Peg this time. "Do you think it's possible to get this wedding together in time?"  
  
"I'm sure we can do it. I'll help in any way that I can."  
  
"Me too," Hawkeye said. She seemed to forget that he was more than happy to help get things together. Knowing her, she didn't trust him with any of the details, but didn't want to say.  
  
Margaret was silent for a moment; she was thinking about what all had to be done in time for the wedding. Finally she spoke, but to whom he didn't know. "The grass needs to cut," she stated. Hawkeye looked at her in mild disbelief and then looked at BJ. He rolled his eyes and then dramatically let his head fall backward.  
  
"Are you going to hire someone?" Peg asked. "That's an awfully big lawn. Can Hawkeye handle something like that?"  
  
"I don't know." She turned to Hawkeye, "Do you want to hire someone or do you think you can cut it by yourself?"  
  
How ironic, he was suddenly visible when it came to the grass. "I'll mow it myself," he told her.  
  
"Are you sure? The backyard is at least three acres by it self."  
  
"Margaret," he put his hand on her arm. "I've mowed this lawn more then a couples times. I'd feel much better if I did it myself rather then pay someone else to do it." He knew they had the money to hire someone, but that was the difference between him and other people.  
  
"Okay," she wasn't about to fight with him. It was probably going to take him all day, but at least it would make him happy. "I'll let you worry about the lawn."  
  
Hawkeye never thought he'd get stuck with that, but it wasn't anything he hadn't done before. "That means you don't have to worry about it."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Good. We're getting married late Saturday morning, so I'll just get up early that day and do it."  
  
"What?!" Margaret turned and looked at him.  
  
"I'm kidding." He grinned.  
  
"You better be."  
  
"I'll get to it today."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Only for a kiss."  
  
She smiled and leaned in to give him a kiss. "There, now you can mow the lawn."  
  
"What's BJ's job?"  
  
Margaret looked over at him. "I'll think of something. Don't worry." She smiled at BJ. "What can you do?"  
  
"He's very handy," Peg answered. "Whatever you need, he can do."  
  
"Good."  
  
Hawkeye looked over at his friend. "I have a feeling we're in for a couple of very busy days."  
  
"You are," Margaret answered. "I'll make sure of that." There was also another perk to keeping Hawkeye busy. Maybe all that work would tire him out and he would keep his hands to himself a little more. "Tomorrow Peg and I will go into town to take care of some things. I need to talk to the florist again, and you have a fitting for you tux tomorrow morning at ten."  
  
"I know. I'll be there."  
  
"Good. Don't forget. BJ you should go with him."  
  
"What about Erin?"  
  
Margaret looked at Peg. "I don't see why she couldn't come with us. I would like her to try on that flower girl dress and start to practice. She's still pretty young. Do you think she can handle it?"  
  
"I think she can."  
  
"Look out," Hawkeye said. "Major Houlihan is coming out now."  
  
"Don't you have a lawn to cut?" She asked sharply.  
  
"Ouch," Hawkeye gasped. He and BJ exchanged amused expressions.  
  
"I think you better do as she says," BJ suggested. "We don't want her to get violent."  
  
"Yeah," Hawkeye sighed. "She's right through, if I don't start now I'll be out here all night."  
  
Margaret got off his lap and stood up, "You're going to change your pants aren't you?"  
  
Hawkeye got to his feet, "Yes ma'am." Little did she know, he was planning on wearing his holey jeans.  
  
"And you'll fold them and put them away?"  
  
"Margaret..."  
  
"Just a friendly reminder," she smiled.  
  
"Don't you have a wedding to plan?"  
  
Margaret put a hand on her hip, "Don't you have a lawn to mow?"  
  
Hawkeye knew she was right; he couldn't afford to stand there all day picking fights with her. "I'm going," he told her. "But don't think this over," he said as he walked away.

Margaret caught BJ grinning at the two of them. "What's so funny?"  
  
"Nothing. Now what do you have for me to do?"  
  
"Until the lawn is mowed there isn't much that you can do."  
  
"I know what he can do," Peg said. "You can try to get your daughter to take a nap. Margaret and I have a lot to do here."  
  
"No nap!" Erin was standing next to her father, but talking to her mother.  
  
Normally Peg was very adamant about getting Erin to take a nap, but this being a new environment for the child, she would let it slide. "Fine, then you can play with Daddy." Peg look at BJ. "And you can both be quiet and stay out of our hair."  
  
BJ kissed his wife and picked up his daughter. "What do you want to do?"  
  
"Go play."  
  
"Of course. What else would a three year old want to do?"  
  
Margaret smiled. "Do whatever you want. Make yourself at home."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Margaret turned to Peg and pointed to the yard. "We're having the wedding out here. What do you think we should do? This is really the first time I've looked at it."  
  
"Wow, this really is unplanned."  
  
"Yes. I didn't have time to do it before."  
  
"Okay. We can work with this."  
  
"We have chairs coming. White ones. The flowers will be Easter lilies."  
  
"Is that hard to get this time of year?"  
  
"Yes, but Hawkeye has it all set with the florist. I just have to go over there and tell them what I want to do with it."  
  
"Mommy bye." It was Erin yelling as she rode away on her father's shoulders back toward the beach.  
  
"Bye," Peg called. "Maybe we could get BJ to build an archway for you two to stand under."  
  
"Do you think he could do that?" Building an archway in a few days seemed like a pretty big task.  
  
"He built one last spring for our gate. It should only take a few days."  
  
"And I'm going to have Hawkeye out here working on this deck. So between that, trimming a few hedges, and sprucing up the garden, I think the lawn can be ready by then."  
  
Peg looked down at the list. "What about your dress?"  
  
"We'll take care of that while we're in town tomorrow."  
  
"Food?"  
  
"I'm not supposed to worry about the food," Margaret told her. "Hawkeye's family is going to do all the cooking. They insisted."  
  
"Oh, well that was nice of them. Leaves one less thing for you to worry about."  
  
"Well, we still need to find a cake. Daniel told me about this little bakery in town, so I figured we'd check it out tomorrow after we...oh no."  
  
"Huh?" Peg turned around to see what Margaret was looking at.  
  
"He's wearing those pants," Margaret said as she watched him push the mower to the edge of the lawn.  
  
Peg smiled. "Oh, don't worry. BJ has a pair just like them. I made him leave them at home."  
  
"I hate when he wears them. They're so ratty."  
  
"He's just mowing the lawn. Maybe he'll ruin them and it will give you an excuse to throw them away."  
  
"I doubt it. Hawkeye would kill me if I ever threw those things out."  
  
"So what are you and I doing today?"  
  
Margaret looked at her. "Tomorrow will be our busy day. Today I would like to see if we can plan everything out. I want things to run smooth enough so that Hawk and I can enjoy the wedding and the people."  
  
"I don't blame you."  
  
"My sister is flying in tomorrow night. Hawk and BJ can pick her up. She'll be a lot of help too. She follows my orders well."  
  
"That's good. Now does she have any children?"  
  
"A baby girl. Janie's five months old. Hawkeye's family has a lot of children. I think his cousins have some kids about Erin's age."  
  
"Erin doesn't mind playing by herself. She's used to it."  
  
Margaret smiled. She was a little curious when she and BJ were going to have children, but she didn't ask yet. She didn't know Peg that well. "Okay, so what do we want to do here?"  
  
"Where do you want that archway? Go from there."  
  
"Yeah," she nodded. "That sounds easy enough." Margaret looked around to see where she wanted it, but Hawkeye caught her eye. He had gotten hot while he was mowing and took his shirt off. As much as she hated those jeans, she had to admit to herself that he looked awfully sexy mowing the yard like that.

It's not that great of an ending for a chapter, but the next one starts a new day. Please review.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19  
  
It was later that night, after everyone had said goodnight, that Margaret heard a light rapping at her door. "Come in," she said softly from the bed. The door opened slowly and he quietly slipped into her room.   
  
"Shhh..." He whispered as he carefully and silently shut the door behind him.   
  
"This is the first place your father is going to check when he notices you're not on that couch," she told him as he crossed the room and took a seat beside her on the bed.  
  
"Don't worry," he said as he kissed her. "He's asleep."  
  
"He'll find out one way or another." She was sure that Daniel knew what his son was up to.  
  
"No he won't, I've got it covered." Hawkeye moved closer to her.  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Trust me," he whispered as he kissed her neck.  
  
"Hawkeye..." He'd rolled her over and pushed her papers to the side. "I'm a little busy."  
  
"You told me you wanted me," he kissed her again. "I don't need to look at anymore wedding plans. You and Peg are handling that, and as I see it, it's too late to do anything else now except go to bed."  
  
"By myself," she corrected him.  
  
He moved over her, "No."  
  
"I told you, the only way you're staying in here tonight is if you remain fully clothed and on the floor."  
  
"I veto both those notions." He kissed her lips and then moved down to kiss her neck. By now he was lying completely on top of her, Margaret could hardly move  
  
"Oh, honey, please." She breathed. "Don't do this to me."  
  
"Its good for you," he mumbled.  
  
"Hawkeye," she pushed his face away from her. "Get off me," she looked into his eyes seriously.  
  
Hawkeye sat back up on the bed and let her sit up. "I just..."  
  
"We've discussed this." She cut him off before he could start again. "If your father finds out he's going to throw a fit. Can't we just sit here together?"  
  
"I don't want to."  
  
"Fine." She grabbed some of the papers she had in her hands when he came in. "You're right about the wedding. Peg and I can handle that tomorrow. Don't forget that you're picking up Katie."  
  
"I know." Hawkeye looked over her shoulder to see what she had. "You decide on paint?"  
  
"Not everything. I don't know what to do with all those bedrooms."  
  
"Just leave them white. We can get them painted later."  
  
"I don't want to."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Why are you worried about this now? Can't we decide when we get back from our honeymoon?"  
  
"If we do that, I'll be thinking about the house while we're gone."  
  
He moved closer to her and looked at the papers in her hands. "Let's look now then."  
  
Margaret held the papers up so he could see, "Do you think we should paint each room a different color."  
  
"What's wrong with white?"  
  
This was why Margaret made painting the house her priority. "Because white is so bland. I want our house to have a comfortable feel."  
  
"That's a nice blue," Hawkeye pointed to one of the samples.  
  
"I thought so too. What do you think about this pale yellow?"  
  
"It's nice."  
  
"I was thinking about painting one of the extra rooms that."  
  
"What about our room?"  
  
"I haven't really decided on that yet."  
  
"Do you have some ideas?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm not worried about our room. It's all of these others."  
  
"You just said you're painting one yellow."  
  
"Pale yellow," she corrected as she pointed to the color that was in the booklet.  
  
Hawkeye looked down. "That's an odd choice. I don't think that's very comfortable."  
  
She looked over at him. "It would be for a nursery. You know, just in case."  
  
He smiled and nodded. "Okay. Makes more sense now." It scared him a little that she was thinking of children already, but he didn't think now was the time to tell her.  
  
"Since we have a den, I would like it to be a dark color. Somewhere you could go and take a nap if you wanted."  
  
"I'm loving the ideas so far."  
  
"You are?"  
  
"Yes. Can I decorate a room?"  
  
She smiled at him. "You really want to?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay. You can have the den. That okay?"  
  
"Fine. Now what about the office?"  
  
All these rooms were making her head spin. There was so much to do in such a large house. "I don't know. The living room and kitchen are my main concern. I want color."  
  
"Hot pink?" She gave him the look. "I'll take that as a no."  
  
"Good."  
  
Margaret continued to look over the samples and Hawkeye eventually just laid back let her be. He'd gone to her room hoping that it would give them the chance to be together, but his idea of being together and her idea of being together apparently weren't the same. They didn't have to make love, but he didn't want to sit around looking at paint samples either.   
  
"Honey, they're going to be painting while we're on our honeymoon. We have a few days to do this. You don't have to decide on it all right now."  
  
"Do you think we ought to go with a theme?" She looked over at him.  
  
"A theme?"  
  
"Well, this is New England. I want this to be a New England home."  
  
Hawkeye chuckled softly, "Now it's a type?"  
  
"I'm serious."  
  
"Baby it's late," he told her. "Do we have to do this right now?"  
  
"Well, when else are we going to do it?" It sounded more like a demand more then a question.  
  
"How about tomorrow for starters."  
  
"Fine, just give me a few more minutes." She turned back to her papers.   
  
"That's fine." Hawkeye got off the bed and pulled back the covers. He took off his shirt and dropped it beside the bed.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked when she saw him.  
  
"Getting ready for bed," he told her.  
  
"You have to leave."  
  
"Margaret, I'm not going back down there."  
  
"Well, you're not sleeping here."  
  
"I thought we talked about this. No one knows I'm here, no one will know I was here."  
  
"There are three other people in this house. You mean to tell me that you don't think any one of them are going to notice you leaving my room in the morning?"  
  
"That's right."  
  
"No Hawkeye."  
  
"Margaret..."  
  
"No!" She said firmly. Just then there was a knock at the door. "Yes?"  
  
"Its Dan. Is my son in there?"  
  
Margaret quickly replaced the covers that he had pulled down. "Come in."  
  
Dan opened the door and peered in. He saw Hawkeye sitting on the bed. "We're just looking at paint samples."  
  
"I know better than that."  
  
"We were," Margaret defended him. "But he was just getting ready to leave so I can get to bed. Isn't that right?"  
  
Dan stood there looking at his son. Hawkeye stood up. "Yes."  
  
"Well let's go."  
  
"I'm going to say goodnight. I'll be down in a minute."  
  
"You better be. I'll be waiting for you. I have to talk to you, Ben."  
  
Hawkeye nodded. He knew his father didn't want anything important. All he wanted was for Hawkeye to get out of there. Once Dan closed the door and left Hawkeye took Margaret's hand and pulled her off the bed. "You just got me in trouble."  
  
Margaret smiled. "No, you got yourself in trouble."  
  
"I'll be back, I can promise you that."  
  
She sighed. "You'll never give up will you?"  
  
"Not until I'm back in your pants."  
  
"What a way with words you have, Romeo."  
  
Hawkeye smiled and gave her a nice soft and tender goodnight kiss. "I love you."  
  
Margaret returned the kiss, "I love you too."  
  
"I can't believe he came in here," Hawkeye growled lowly.  
  
"He knows you," she told him. "He knew what you were up to."  
  
"Whatever happened to trust?"  
  
"Trust you?" She laughed softly. "You better get down there before he comes back."  
  
"Yeah..." He kissed her again and then picked up his shirt. "But I'll be back, I can promise you that."  
  
"Goodnight." She walked him to the door.  
  
"Margaret, I'm serious. I absolutely refuse to sleep on that couch."  
  
"I'm sorry, I can't help you. He'll know it if you come here. I'm not looking to get into anymore trouble with your father."  
  
"Goodnight...Dad."  
  
Margaret pushed him out into the hall at his remark. "I can always lock the door."  
  
"You wouldn't dare," he whispered. He'd just become aware of the others sleeping.  
  
"Watch me," she shut the door. Following that he heard the distinct sound of the lock moving into place.   
  
Hawkeye clenched his jaw, he didn't like where this was going. He slipped his shirt back on and walked as quietly as he could down the stairs. There was no chance in hell that he was going to sleep on that couch or the floor.  
  
Margaret stayed up later than she wanted to. She just couldn't sleep thinking about everything that she had to get done. By now the wedding was one of the least of her worries. It was the house that was on her mind. She ended up turned the light off in the room and turning the bedside lamp on. Once she was comfortably settled in bed she realized she couldn't sleep. The paint samples and notebook came out again and she started to plan out their new house.  
  
Somewhere along the line she ended up falling asleep, but that wasn't until the early hours of the morning. Sleeping just seemed like a waste of time at the moment. At seven she woke up thinking that she would do something nice for Hawkeye and wake him up so he could sleep in her bed. When she went downstairs she wasn't expecting to see an empty couch. He wasn't there so she checked the den and he wasn't there either.   
  
She didn't know where he could have gone, and she didn't want to call his name and wake everyone up. Instead she made a pot of coffee and sat out on the patio in the back going over what she had to accomplish that day. It seem impossible to have the wedding done in two days. It was Thursday now and Saturday was the wedding.  
  
Margaret ended up falling asleep out there. It was quiet and the breeze coming off the water was nice. Around an hour later she was awoken by the sound of pans banging in the kitchen. Margaret stood up, pulling her robe tighter around her, and walked back into the house. "Good morning," Daniel greeted her when she walked into the kitchen. "I was beginning to wonder where everybody went."  
  
She looked at him curiously, "You mean you haven't seen Hawkeye either?"  
  
Daniel shook his head. "Not since last night." He pulled out a large plate from the cupboard. "He wasn't on the couch when I came down this morning."  
  
Margaret turned and looked out the window. "He wasn't when I came down either."  
  
"Don't worry honey, he probably went for a run or something."  
  
That made sense, why hadn't she thought of that. He needed to go for a good, long run. With all his anxiety and sexual tension it would do him good. "You're probably right."  
  
"You hungry?"  
  
"Not really. Too much on my mind."  
  
"You should still eat."  
  
"I will." Margaret looked out the window. Back in Virginia Hawkeye didn't go for such long runs. She was a little worried about him. Maybe she really hurt him when she locked the door, but she didn't do it to be mean. She did it to keep them out of trouble.  
  
"Should we wake the Hunnicutts up?"  
  
"I'm sure they'll be along shortly. Do I have time to get in the shower before breakfast?"  
  
"Yeah."   
  
Margaret gave Dan a kiss on the cheek. "One day I promise I'll make you a nice meal."  
  
"Don't worry about it," he smiled. "You can host all the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and we'll call it even. Just make sure I get some grandchildren to keep me occupied while you're cooking."  
  
She smiled. "You've got a deal."  
  
Margaret went back upstairs with her coffee cup in hand and gathered her shower things. She wanted to get in there before everyone used to hot water. After her restless night she needed a shower to wake her up, and all the caffeine that she could get wouldn't hurt either. Sleeping alone just wasn't for her. At least when Hawkeye was there she could let go of her worries and just be with him. Without him in the same bed all she did was think. There wasn't anyone to take her in his arms and tell her not to worry.  
  
When she got into the shower she let the hot water cascade over her body and relax the tense muscles. Maybe she would get Hawkeye to massage her shoulders later. The only problem with that was that he wouldn't stop there. He had a tendency to take things one step too far.  
  
A knock on the door prompted her to get out of the shower. It was Peg. Margaret finished up in the shower and then got out. She was used to it being just her and Hawkeye and she never had to worry about anyone else. It just didn't cross her mind that there were other people in the house. Had it been her and Hawkeye they would have just walked in on each other and it wouldn't have mattered. Soon it would be back to that.  
  
"Peg," Margaret called as she stepped into the hallway. "Its all yours." Margaret headed back to her bedroom to get dressed and do her hair and makeup. She had moved all her things into her bedroom and she would just do her hair in front of that mirror now.

From the stairs Margaret could smell the aroma coming from the kitchen. By the time she walked into the kitchen she was overwhelmed by the smell of good food. "Have you seen Hawkeye?" She still hadn't seen him and was beginning to worry.  
  
"He's right there," Daniel pointed out the window.  
  
Margaret walked over to the window and looked out into the backyard. "I don't seem him."  
  
"Look farther, in the surf."  
  
Margaret squinted and realized that he was right. "He's swimming away," she said aloud.  
  
"He swimming out," Daniel corrected.   
  
"What does that mean?" She asked without ever taking her eyes off her fiancé, or what she could see of him.  
  
"He's going to swim as hard as he can until he tires out."  
  
Margaret looked over a Daniel, "Swim until he tires out?" The older man nodded. Margaret didn't think she liked the sound of that. "Isn't that dangerous?"  
  
"It can be," Daniel said. "But don't worry about him; he knows what he's doing."  
  
"I don't think I like this idea."  
  
"You'd probably have to be from here to understand it," he told her. "Swimming like that doesn't allow for thinking, that's what makes it so appealing."  
  
Margaret turned back to the window. She couldn't see him anymore. "I guess that makes sense."  
  
"When he's had his fill he'll stop," he reconciled her.  
  
"And then?"  
  
"He'll float on his back, take a few deep breaths, and look up at the sky as he tries to sort through himself. Eventually, he'll realize how cold the water is and begin the long swim back in."

It all sounded a little crazy to Margaret, but to each his own. Hawkeye was a high energy person. That was one of the reasons he was driving himself up the wall in Virginia. He devoted most of his energy into chasing Margaret, but lately both she and Dan had put a stop to that before he could really do anything. Now with the wedding coming up so fast and her being stressed, it added to his. He had a lot on his mind right now and the way to clear that for him was to work out his physical energy and then be able to clear his mind.  
  
"You think he's okay?"  
  
"I'm sure of it," Dan smiled. "Is everyone up?"  
  
"They're getting there." Margaret walked over to the coffee pot to pour herself another cup. "Do you want one?"  
  
Dan nodded. "Cream, no sugar."  
  
"Alright." Margaret stood there and poured the coffees staring blankly as the liquid was transferred from the pot to the cups.  
  
"Honey, you okay?" Margaret didn't answer. "Margaret?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"You okay?" Dan smiled at her.  
  
"Yeah. I didn't sleep well last night."  
  
"Lonely?"  
  
She nodded uneasily, not sure if she wanted to talk to Dan about that. He had been very strict about her and Hawkeye sleeping in the same bed in his house, but then again he did know they lived together. "Lonely and stressed."  
  
"You don't need to be stressed out. I can help you with that, but as far as the loneliness goes...."  
  
"No, I understand. I would do the same if I were in your situation."  
  
"I wish your fiancé would understand."  
  
She smiled. "Maybe when he has children."  
  
"I can't wait for the day. I hope he has ten just like him."  
  
Margaret chuckled. "Don't say that, it might come true."  
  
"Maybe just one then."  
  
"One? I already have one of him. I don't need another."  
  
"Well, children do act differently around their mothers then they do their fathers."  
  
"Even that spells disaster."  
  
Daniel laughed, it looked like he wasn't going to win this one. "Would you mind taking that stack of pancakes out to the table?"  
  
"Sure," she picked up the plate off the counter and took it out to the dining room. When she had done that she brought out the syrup and poured five glasses of orange juice. Just as she was sitting down BJ and Erin walked in. "Good morning," she greeted them.  
  
"Good morning Margaret," BJ said. He then turned to the little girl in his arms. "Can you say good morning?"  
  
"Good morning"  
  
Both Margaret and BJ smiled at the attempt. "How did you sleep sweetie?" She asked Erin. Then turning to BJ she asked, "Did she wake up at all?"  
  
"She slept like a rock."  
  
Margaret was happy to hear that. Last night, after she'd kicked Hawkeye out, she thought about it and hoped they hadn't been too loud. "How about you and Peg?"  
  
"We slept pretty good, that's a good mattress."  
  
"Good."  
  
Daniel walked into the room carrying another stack of pancakes and a bowl of fresh fruit. "Is everyone here?"  
  
"We're just waiting for Peg."  
  
"Oh, okay." Dan sat down at the head of the table. "How long will she be?"  
  
"Not too much longer. She said to go ahead and start without her." BJ placed Erin in a chair. "Where's Hawk? He still sleeping?"  
  
"No. Swimming," Margaret said.  
  
"In the ocean?! He must be nuts. That water is freezing."  
  
"I know," she agreed. "But Dan tells me Hawk knows what he's doing."  
  
"He's sure changed some of his old habits."  
  
"He's not exhausted all the time anymore. You know how much things took out of him back in Korea."  
  
BJ nodded. "I like him better now anyway. He's not so... I don't know the word."  
  
"Crazy," Margaret answered.  
  
"For lack of a better word, yeah."  
  
She smiled and nodded. She couldn't have married the man that she met in Korea anymore than he could have married her. The love was there and so was the passion, but under those high stress conditions they just weren't themselves. Margaret was wound so tightly back then. It was part of her personality, but she was a lot calmer now. Then again calm for Margaret wasn't like calm for a lot of other people.  
  
Just as they were dishing out the food they heard the back door open up and bare feet walk across the floor. "Smells good in here. Where is everyone?"  
  
"In here," Dan called. "You're not all wet are you?"  
  
Hawkeye stepped into the room partly dry from his walk back to the house. "Not really." There was an empty seat next to Margaret that he sat in. He gave her a tender kiss. "Good morning. Did you sleep well."  
  
"No."  
  
"Good."  
  
Margaret looked at him. "What?!"  
  
"Hey, if I can't sleep than neither can you." He snatched a piece of fruit off her plate. "Why couldn't you sleep?"  
  
"I just couldn't." She really didn't want to talk about that at the moment. "Grab yourself a plate."  
  
"Yours looks good to me."  
  
Had it just been the two of them then she wouldn't have cared at all. When they were alone they weren't too particular when it came to eating, but Hawkeye's father and the Hunnicutts were the exception. "Get your own plate."  
  
"You know, you're no fun when you're tired," he chuckled as he pulled a strip of bacon off her plate.  
  
"I'll get him one," Daniel told her. "I don't want you dripping all over my nice clean floor," he said to his son.  
  
Hawkeye tousled his hair and scooted his chair up to the table. "And a glass too please."  He turned to Margaret and said, "You forgot to set a place for me."  
  
"I didn't know when you were coming back."  
  
He kissed her cheek, "Well I'm here now."  
  
"And your shirt is damp," she groaned as she pushed him back.  
  
"Well what did you expect?" He asked. "It wasn't like I was sun bathing or anything, all though...." He lifted his shirt and looked at his stomach. "It wouldn't hurt."  
  
Daniel walked back in and set a plate down in front of Hawkeye. "Put your shirt down, no one wants to see that."  
  
Margaret started laughing; she reached over and lightly patted his stomach. "It's okay Tubby, I still love you."  
  
Hawkeye glared at her. "You really aren't funny at all." He stole a piece of fruit off her plate again.  
  
"Hey." She slapped his hand. "Get your own."  
  
"What's yours is mine." He reminded her.  
  
"Not until Saturday."  
  
Hawkeye smiled and put his arm around her chair resting his hand on her shoulder. "Can you see how much she loves me?"  
  
"It's pretty damn clear if you ask me." Dan said coming back into the room. "She puts up with all your sh..." He noticed Erin and changed what he was going to say. "With all your crap."  
  
Hawkeye grabbed the plate and the glass removing his arm from Margaret's chair. "I should have stayed out there longer. I didn't know I would be treated like this. Would you pass the bacon?"  
  
Margaret handed him the plate but not before making another comment. "Are you sure you need bacon? You have to go to a fitting this afternoon."  
  
"Just give it to me."  
  
BJ chuckled and looked at Margaret. "Look at it this way, now you'll have more of him to love."  
  
"You are no longer my best man, and as for you..." Hawkeye looked at the woman sitting next to him. "I may just go out and find someone else to marry."  
  
"Good luck," she grinned. "I'm the only one that would have you."  
  
"God, you're so funny today." He said sarcastically. BJ was enjoying it and so was Daniel. Usually Hawkeye was the one that was picking on people and getting them going. "Where's Peg?"  
  
"She was in the shower when we came down. She's not feeling too well today."  
  
"Do you think she'll be able to go into town with me?" Margaret asked anxiously. She didn't know if she could handle it on her own.   
  
"I'm sure she will. If not, Erin will."  
  
Margaret smiled. "As nice as that would be, I would like Peg to go with us. Oh, Hawkeye don't forget that my sister is coming today."  
  
"I know, honey. You've been telling me for days now." He took a bite of his pancake.  
  
"I just want to make sure you get her. The baby will be with her and she'll need help."  
  
"I got it covered."  
  
"Maybe you should take your father's car," she suggested.   
  
"What's wrong with my car?" He exclaimed. It was more like 'cars', but she didn't know that yet.  
  
"I don't know if driving without the top is good for the baby."  
  
"Margaret..." That sounded a little extreme. "It's a beautiful day."  
  
"They're from South Carolina, it's a lot warmer there then it is here."  
  
"I'll put the top up then," he told her.  
  
Margaret took a pancake off the stack. "They're coming in at one, don't forget."  
  
"I won't."  
  
"And your fitting is at three."  
  
"Margaret," he stopped eating and put his hand on her arm. "I won't forget, I promise."  
  
"You know what, I'll write down the phone number and call to remind you. I'll be out most of the afternoon. I'll try to get here as soon as I can, but I don't know how things are going to go in town."  
  
It was as if she hadn't even heard him. "Fine."  
  
Peg walked into the dining room. "Good morning."  
  
"Morning," Hawkeye said. "How did you sleep?"  
  
"Pretty good."  
  
Hawkeye looked directly at his father. "That is a nice bed. I wish I had one." Dan rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. "Hopefully I can get some sleep before the wedding or I'll be spending our entire honeymoon sleeping."  
  
"It wouldn't kill you." Dan said.  
  
Margaret wanted the conversation to stay off of their sex life. She heard enough about that from Hawkeye when they were alone, she didn't want him to let other people know about that. He wasn't very private with such matters. "So Peg, BJ said you weren't feeling well this morning."  
  
"No, I'm fine. That shower made a world of difference."  
  
"That's good. You'll be able to go with me?"  
  
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Could you pass the pancakes? What time do you want to leave?"  
  
"By ten." Margaret had everything mapped out. She knew where she had to be and at what time. Hopefully she could finish her fitting for her dress today and get the florists all set. That would take a huge weight off her shoulders. "Oh, Hawk, I don't remember if I told you this..."  
  
"Katie will be here at one. I know, I know."  
  
"That's not what I was going to say smart ass. BJ is going to build us an archway for the wedding. The two of you need to get the stuff to make it and paint it."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Dan, could you check on the food for me?" Margaret really didn't know Hawkeye's family. As it was, she felt a little odd that they were handling all the food for the wedding and reception.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"It's only quarter till eight," Hawkeye said. "You have time."  
  
"You'll need to hop in the shower before you go to the airport."  
  
"Actually," Hawkeye sat back in his chair. "I was thinking I'd go like this, except without the shirt."  
  
"You're getting in that shower if I have to drag you," she told him sternly.   
  
"I wish you would."  
  
Margaret blushed and Daniel saw it. "I'll do it," he offered with a large smile.  
  
The smile on Hawkeye's fell right off. "No, I think I'll manage.  Thanks." Everyone except Hawkeye chuckled; he didn't like that idea at all.   
  
"Do you need help shaving too? I know we went over that when you were fourteen."  
  
"Ha ha," Hawkeye laughed sarcastically.   
  
BJ pushed his chair back and stood up. "I'm going to take Erin upstairs and help her to brush her teeth."  
  
"I'll come with you," Peg stood up. "Breakfast was wonderful Daniel," she smiled at him.  
  
"It's not a problem, I'm glad you enjoyed it."  
  
When the three of them had gone Daniel got up and started to clear the table. "I can do that," Margaret volunteered.  
  
"You did the dishes last night," he told her.  
  
"Please, let me help you."  
  
Daniel pointed to his son, "I think you have bigger worries."  
  
Margaret looked over at Hawkeye. He was still shoveling the food in his mouth, but she could tell his mood had changed. "I'll do the dinner dishes tonight."  
  
"Deal." Dan grabbed some more dishes.  
  
Margaret stood behind Hawkeye and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders. "You know I would love to drag you into the shower," she mumbled in his ear. Hawkeye smiled, but didn't say a word. "I didn't sleep well last night because you weren't there. I missed you." She kissed his cheek. "I missed your arms around me and your body pressed against mine."  
  
He turned around and looked up at her. "I missed you too."  
  
"Come with me upstairs"  
  
Hawkeye's eyes widened. "You mean...?"  
  
"No. I mean come with me upstairs. Your clothes are in my room and you need to jump in the shower."  
  
"What I would really love to do is go to bed."  
  
"Me too." She grabbed his hand and tugged on it so he would stand up. "You never gave me a proper good morning kiss."  
  
Hawkeye took her in his arms and kissed her softly, but passionately. Daniel walked into the room to get some more dishes, but neither one of them noticed until he spoke. "Knock it off."  
  
Margaret pulled away smiling. "Sorry."  
  
"I can't wait until the two of you get married and get out of here."  
  
"Neither can we." Hawkeye stated. He waited until his father was out of the room and then took Margaret by the hand. He just wanted to be alone with her for five minutes. "Let's go upstairs."  
  
"The Hunnicutts are up there."  
  
"I know that."   
  
"Nothing funny," she said as she led him to the stairs.  
  
"I've yet to hear you laugh," he said lowly as he walked up behind her. "Well, there was that one time..."  
  
A smile spread across her face. That wouldn't have happened had he not been talking. "Hold your tongue Pierce."  
  
Hawkeye grinned and followed close behind her as they walked up the stairs. When they were alone in her room he said, "I wish you could shower with me."  
  
"In two days," she reminded him.  
  
"I have the feeling we won't be doing much showering that night," he smiled.  
  
"Fine then, four."  
  
"Four? Aren't you skipping a number?"  
  
"I'm not showering with you on Sunday morning, we'll miss our plane."  
  
"We'll get up early," he grinned.  
  
Margaret handed him a fresh towel. "Go."  
  
"I still need my clothes."  
  
She stood aside and let him get at suitcase. "Wear those loose blue slacks."  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
"And that white shirt with the vertical blue and yellow pin stripes."  
  
Hawkeye stood up and turned around. "Margaret."  
  
"Sorry," she gave him a kiss.  
  
He put his hand on her hip and closed the distance between them as he kissed her deeply. "How's that for a good morning kiss?" He said against her lips.  
  
"Mmm, very good."  
  
"What if I skipped the shower and stayed in here with you instead?"  
  
"It wouldn't do you any good." She gave him a kiss and gently pushed him out the door. "You'll be better off taking a nice cold shower."   
  
"That isn't a good substitute."  
  
"It'll have to do." She kissed him once more. "I need to fix my hair and makeup. Go shower."  
  
"Fine." Hawkeye turned and walked away. He bumped into a little brunette running down the hall. "Excuse me." He picked Erin up. "Where are you headed in such a hurry?"  
  
"Get my dwess."  
  
"Your dress? Are you going into town today?" She nodded. "Bring back some candy."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Hawkeye gave the child a kiss on the cheek and sat her down. "Don't run in the house." He turned and looked at Margaret who was standing in the doorway looking at him. "I sound like my father."  
  
She smiled. "That's not such a bad thing." She shut the door before he could comment.  
  
Margaret got herself ready to go while Hawkeye was in the shower. She knew he was going to take a quick one so that he would be able to get her alone in the bedroom. It was nice to be so loved and wanted, but it seemed like they kept having the same conversation. When Hawkeye got out of the shower Margaret was in there doing her hair, but so was Peg and Erin. Hawkeye grabbed some socks and left.  
  
That day Margaret got everything accomplished that she needed to do in town. She called back to the house a few times to make sure that Hawkeye was on track. Dan assured her that he was keeping his son on track. Hawkeye picked Katie up on time and got the materials for BJ to make an archway, and he even finished the final fitting for his tux.  
  
Friday wasn't as hectic as Thursday had been; Margaret had gotten a lot accomplished that afternoon. Of course having two more people in the house complicated things, Hawkeye and Margaret hadn't had a moment to themselves since the previous morning. They finally got their chance that afternoon after everyone had gone into town for lunch. Margaret said she had a few more things to go over before the wedding and Hawkeye said the same. Normally they would have gone with, but right now they just needed a little time to themselves.  
  
"How does that feel?"  
  
"Ohhhhh," Margaret moaned. "That's really good, right there," she breathed quickly. He pressed a little harder. "Ah, that's the spot, don't move."  
  
"Are you feeling any better?"  
  
"Wonderful," she groaned.  
  
"You're really tense," he said as he worked her shoulders with his hands.  
  
"All that...stress."  
  
Hawkeye moved his hands lower, "You're all knotted up."  
  
"That feels really good," she said into the comforter.  
  
"Here," Hawkeye lifted up her shirt. "Take this off." Margaret sat up and slipped her shirt over her head. When she laid back down she felt Hawkeye unclip her bra and push her straps down. After a moment she felt his hands on her bare back and gasped. "Are my hands cold?"  
  
"No," she groaned again. He was just really good when it came to touching her.  
  
"You should have told me how tense you were. I would have done this sooner."  
  
"When would we have the time?" She relaxed more on the bed.   
  
"Yeah, you're right. I'm surprised they all went without us today."  
  
"They knew we needed a break. Peg did anyway. Maybe she spread the word."  
  
Hawkeye's hands moved back to her shoulders and neck working some more knots out. "Maybe."  
  
"Go lower," she moaned.  
  
He moved his hands lower trying to hit every muscle on the way. "Will you do this for me?"  
  
"Uh huh. Harder." Every time he talked he let up on the pressure he was applying.   
  
Hawkeye concentrated on her for a little while without saying much. It was nice to just be with her like that. His hands roamed freely across her skin and that was when she knew it was time to switch. She replaced the straps on her bra and hooked it back up. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Your turn."  
  
"I was having fun." He watched her reach for her shirt.  
  
"A little too much fun. Take your shirt off and lie down."  
  
"Pants too?"  
  
"No."  
  
Hawkeye took his shirt off and threw it somewhere in the room. Then he laid down on his stomach waiting for her. "Ah," he yelled. "Your hands are cold."  
  
"Stop being a baby."  
  
"I am not a baby."  
  
She smiled leaning down to kiss his shoulder. "Yes you are, but I love you anyway. You know that."  
  
"That's what you say, but you don't show it."  
  
"Oh, that's not fair. Tomorrow I'll show you all night long."  
  
He smiled. "I could skip the whole ceremony and go right to the wedding night."  
  
"I know you could."  
  
"You know, we have this entire afternoon to ourselves, I could have given you a full body message."  
  
"We don't know when they're coming back."  
  
"We wouldn't have needed anything more then two hours."  
  
Margaret worked the muscles in his shoulders a little harder. "They could be back any time."  
  
Her hands went a little lower and Hawkeye moaned. "This is good." Just as long as they were together he didn't particularly care what they did.  
  
"I thought running was supposed to relax you."  
  
"It does, it's this wedding that's killing me."  
  
Margaret looked over his back, "Your tan is looking good though."  
  
Hawkeye smiled, "That's from all that work you've had me doing."  
  
She shook her head, "It's September, I don't see how you can stand out there shirtless."  
  
"I grew up here, I'm used to it."  
  
"You're crazy."  
  
"But I have a good tan," he smiled.  
  
Margaret planted a kiss on his back. "Think about how it'll look after a week in the tropics."  
  
"I'm not counting on that, considering we're going to be spending our entire honeymoon in the room."  
  
Margaret smiled, "We're not staying in a hotel right?"  
  
"Right. It's kind of like a small house on the beach."  
  
She stopped massaging and lay down next to him. "I can't wait until we're there," she whispered to him excitedly.  
  
Hawkeye moved over and put his arm around her. "Neither can I."

"It's going to be so much fun. Just us."  
  
Hawkeye smiled at her. "Yeah. Remember last time we went on vacation?"  
  
"You mean to my family reunion?"  
  
"Yes. That was something."  
  
She smiled at him. "Because you kept getting me drunk."  
  
He laughed. "You were the one that wanted all the drinks, not me. If our honeymoon is anything like that was, it'll be a great change from what our sex life has been."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I think I'm a virgin again."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "You really are a big baby." She kissed him. "What does this house look like?"  
  
"The beach house?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"It looks like a beach house. Glass front looking out into the ocean. Silky white sheets on the bed. You'll love it."  
  
"Have you been before?"  
  
He nodded. "Actually, we own it."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Margaret was shocked. "You and your father bought it? How long have you had it?"  
  
"No," he chuckled. "When I say 'we' I mean me and you."  
  
She smiled brightly. "What else do we own or are you going to keep surprising me?"  
  
"I think I like surprising you." Hawkeye moved so that his head was on the pillow and she followed. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him intertwining their legs. "I haven't slept very well lately."  
  
"Me either," she yawned.  
  
"We're not going to be getting much sleep for a while."  
  
"At least not until we're there."  
  
"Just think," he whispered. "After tonight we'll never have to sleep alone again."  
  
Margaret sighed and snuggled against him. "I'm looking forward to that."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"For one whole week you're the only person I'm going to see."  
  
He ran a hand up her arm, "And feel."  
  
Margaret's skin tingled when he did that. She wished they were there right now. "No family, no friends..."  
  
"No phone," he added.  
  
"No phone?"  
  
"Well, no one has the number."  
  
Margaret smiled, "No interruptions."  
  
"No clothes," he kissed her ear.  
  
"Yes, no clothes," she grinned.  
  
"I think we should go right now, before they get back."  
  
Margaret laughed, "You're incorrigible."  
  
"And tired."  
  
She sat up and picked up his shirt. "Put this on, I don't want you to fall asleep and have everyone think something happened."  
  
"What? No."  
  
"Please. For me."  
  
Hawkeye sighed and grabbed the shirt. "Only if you take a nap with me."  
  
She nodded. She could use the rest and as long as she was in his arms she didn't worry about things. At least not at the moment. Hawkeye slipped his shirt on and then laid back down with her. She snuggled close to him, burring her face in his chest. "I love you."  
  
"I love you." He rubbed her back gently and watched as she closed her eyes. She really did need the rest. Her eyes were swollen and puffy from not sleeping. She would be so upset if their wedding pictures showed that. The nap would do both of the a world of good.  
  
"Honey," she mumbled.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Can you shut the light off?"  
  
"I have to move."  
  
"I know." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Please."  
  
"Yeah." He dropped a kiss on her forehead and got up to shut the light off. "That better?"  
  
"Thank you." She patted the spot next to her.   
  
Hawkeye crawled back onto the bed and lay down beside her. Once he was settled he opened his arms to her and she eagerly cuddled up to him. When they were comfortable Margaret said, "This is the most relaxed I've been all week."  
  
"You haven't been sleeping on that couch."  
  
"I wasn't sleeping with you."  
  
Hawkeye smiled sleepily and rubbed her back. "We're together now."  
  
"Mmm," she sighed peacefully.  
  
"I love you," he said quietly as he planted a kiss on the top of her head.  
  
It didn't take very long for either of them to fall asleep. It wasn't where they slept that really affected their nights, it was not being together. Margaret would have slept on the couch with him if she could. Granted it wasn't very comfortable and she'd probably have had to sleep on top of him, but at least they would have been together. Every time she thought about the wedding she would tense up. She wasn't nervous about marrying Hawkeye, he was the love of her life, it was just everything else involved that made her anxious.


	20. Chapter 20, last chapter

CHAPTER 20

Everyone walked back into the house two hours later. They noticed right away that Hawkeye and Margaret weren't there, but came to the conclusion they must have gone for a walk to be together. They hadn't had a moment to themselves in two days.   
  
Erin was pretty comfortable in the house now. She knew everyone there pretty well and was a lot more open than she had been when she first arrived in Maine. She ran around the house like she owned the place. It was a lot nicer for BJ and Peg because they didn't have her attached to them all the time.  
  
"Erin honey," Peg said. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Playin'." She had some of Dan's knick knacks in her hands.  
  
Peg took them from her. "You can't play with these, sweetheart."  
  
She looked up at her mother. "Why?"  
  
"Because they're not toys. Why don't you go grab some of your toys out of the bedroom?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I'll come with you."  
  
"No. Me do it." She jumped to her feet and headed for the stairs.  
  
"Be careful." Her mother called after her.  
  
Erin climbed the stairs carefully. When she reached the top landing she ran off for her toys. She gathered some of them in her arms and ran back to the top of the stairs. In her hurry to get everything she dropped some of her toys and fell backwards into one of the bedroom doors. It was part way open and she opened it a little more. She stood up and looked inside. She had never been in that room before. When she did she saw Hawkeye and Margaret sleeping peacefully. Being three years old she didn't do anything except keep quiet and leave the room. She wasn't supposed to wake people up. Her mother often told her not to wake her father up when he was taking a nap.  
  
Dan was passing by the bottom of the stairs when he saw Erin at the top. He stopped and looked at her. "What are you doing honey?"  
  
"Shh." She put her finger to her lips.  
  
"Why?" He chuckled. It was cute having kids around again.  
  
"Sleeping."  
  
"Sleeping?" He looked at her oddly. Everyone was downstairs. "Honey, why don't you come downstairs and play with your toys?"  
  
"Okay," she picked up as many toys as she could carry and attempted the stairs one at a time.  
  
Daniel met her half way and picked her up. He carried her to the landing and set her down. "There you go."  
  
"Thank you," and with that she walked off.  
  
Daniel watched her for a moment then started up the stairs again. He was going to find out who was sleeping. As he neared the top of the stairs he could see that Margaret's bedroom door was partially open. Daniel pushed it open a little more and peered inside. He should have known, who else would it have been? He opened the door all the way and stood in the doorway. He shook his head, those two...  
  
"Good afternoon!" He shouted.  
  
Margaret's body jumped and Hawkeye sat straight up as fast as he could. He knew that voice all too well. "Dad," he groaned rubbing his forehead. "What the hell? You scared me half to death."  
  
"Good."  
  
Margaret looked at Dan wishing she had the energy to get up, but she didn't. Hawkeye lay back in the bed and wrapped his arm around her. "We were napping. Nothing else. She won't let me."  
  
"I'm sorry," Margaret managed to say. "I should have made him get out."  
  
"No," Hawkeye said. "You're didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"Just get the hell out of bed you two. You have company, remember?"  
  
"Yes sir." Margaret nodded.  
  
"Sir?" He smiled. "I think I like that. Hawk, take some lessons from her."  
  
"How can I if you don't let me be around her?"  
  
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Get up. If you're not down there in ten minutes, I'm coming after you." He looked directly at Margaret. "You can stay if you want. You need some rest."  
  
"I'm fine, but thank you."  
  
Daniel nodded and left the room. "Ten minutes, Hawk." He yelled back.  
  
"I know!" Hawkeye sighed with frustration. "He drives me crazy."  
  
Margaret smiled and relaxed on him again. "He's just being a dad. Be glad you have a father that cares."  
  
"I draw the line when he starts caring when I have sex."  
  
"He's just old fashioned, you know that."  
  
Hawkeye rolled over and forced her onto her back. "I don't care," he said as he lay on top of her and buried his face in her neck.  
  
Margaret threaded her fingers through his hair. "You better go downstairs." She didn't want Daniel to come back up and find them like that. They usually started out in a position like that before they made love.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"Please Hawkeye," she could feel the temptation growing. His entire body was pressed against hers; she could feel the mild ache in her belly building.  
  
He lifted up so he could see her face. "Let's go for a ride."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We'll go some place secluded and take our time getting reacquainted," his hand moved to the inside of her thigh. "We'll say we have to go sign something for the house."  
  
Margaret had to resist moaning, it had been a long time since he touched her like that. "We haven't done anything with them all day."  
  
"We haven't done anything together all week."  
  
She had to stop his hand from moving up to her crotch. "The Potters are flying in this evening."  
  
"We'll leave early."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Honey, no."  
  
Hawkeye moved to kiss her neck. "We'll be fast."  
  
Fast was not what she wanted. She wanted to hold out for one more day. It would make their wedding night more special to her. Getting to know one another all over again. "No." She pushed him off of her. "Tomorrow night. Not before."  
  
He sighed as he watched her get off of the bed. The door was still wide open and anyone that walked by would have been able to see the two of them. "What time do we leave for the honeymoon?"  
  
"Eight."  
  
"At night?"  
  
"Yes. You're the one that booked everything."  
  
"We'll be spending all night on a plane."  
  
"You have no room to complain this time," she pointed out. "You made all the arrangements, not me." Margaret stood looking in the mirror. "I look like hell."  
  
"You look fine."  
  
"No I don't." She tried to fix her hair and bring some color back into her face. "Let's go downstairs and get this over with. As long as my mind is occupied I don't worry so much."  
  
"Fine." Hawkeye stood up reluctantly. "I'm never getting married again."  
  
"You better not." She pushed him out the doorway faster than he wanted to go. "Let's get something to eat. I'm so hungry."  
  
"You're always hungry."  
  
"You're the one who always has a sandwich in his hands."  
  
He caught her on the stairs and put his arm around her. "You're the one who always has to have something after we make love."  
  
"You know that's not true. Not _every _time," she grinned.  
  
"That's only when I manage to keep you in bed," he whispered.  
  
"Shh..."  
  
"They can't hear."  
  
Margaret moved out of his grasp and finished making her way down the stairs. "Come on."  
  
When she disappeared into the living room he went into the kitchen and grabbed himself a beer. He needed to cool off for a minute before he went and joined the others. He took s few sips of his beer and then joined them all in the living room. Margaret was sitting in a chair; it was the only spot left in the room. He walked over to her and sat on the arm of the chair.  
  
Daniel looked at his son. He didn't offer anyone else anything. "Could I get anyone anything?" He said for his son.  
  
"I'll take a beer." BJ said.  
  
"Anyone else?"  
  
"I'll take one," Margaret said.  
  
"Okay. Two beers. You two ladies want anything?" He looked at Katie and Peg.  
  
"No thanks," they both said.  
  
Hawkeye sat there listening to the conversations take place. He didn't have much interest at the moment and focused on the entertainment. At the moment that was Erin playing with five month old Janie. It was pretty entertaining for the moment. At least he could pretend he was occupied with them and didn't have to answer anymore questions about the wedding or the future.  
  
Margaret carried on with the conversation for a little while. She noticed Hawkeye's disinterest in everything. He was sitting there looking for a way to get comfortable, but it just didn't seem possible. Finally after Dan left the room again Margaret got up and let Hawkeye take the chair. Then she sat on his lap. They were both more comfortable. Her arm was draped around his shoulders and his hand was resting on her thigh.  
  
They couldn't get married fast enough. All this ceremonial stuff was killing them. They each had to fight with themselves to keep some amount of self control. Hawkeye's self control didn't work too well so Margaret had to make up for it. It was getting really tough now. She had gone too long without being able to feel him, and she didn't want to do it anymore. They were getting married and she should be able to sit on his lap without being made to feel like she was doing something wrong.  
  
Hawkeye was content for a while like that. Sitting in a comfortable chair made being there more bearable; however the blonde sitting on his lap did not. As time passed he found himself becoming more and more antsy. As they continued to talk about flowers and cakes the only thing he could think about was taking her right there on the living room floor. It was becoming harder and harder to restrain himself from touching her.  
  
"Does anyone want anything else?" He sat up and Margaret rose to let him stand. "BJ, do you want another beer?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I think there are some more in the garage." He turned to Margaret, "I'll be right back."  
  
She nodded and gave him a kiss. "Get me one too."  
  
"Okay." He looked at Peg and Katie. "Do you need anything?"  
  
"I'm fine," Katie told him.  
  
"Me too."  
  
Hawkeye nodded and then left the room. He just needed some time to calm down. Her sitting on his lap hadn't helped him, if anything it had made it worse.  
  
Margaret knew what had happened. She had felt him start to shift in his seat after a while. It was too much for him at the moment. He did the right thing. At least he didn't take her by the hand and drag her somewhere to beg for sex.  
  
When he walked back into the room Margaret had vacated the chair and was sitting on the floor playing with her niece. Hawkeye knew it was only a matter of time before she did that. She could never resist a cute baby for long. Sometimes that could be cute, but other times it made him nervous.  
  
"Here honey," he handed her the bottle of beer.  
  
"Could you set it on the table for me?" She didn't bother to look up at him.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Beej," Hawkeye passed the beer to him.  
  
"Thanks. What are we doing tonight? Having a wild bachelor party?"  
  
Margaret looked up from the baby to hear what Hawkeye had to say to that. "My wife to be here is making me leave for the night. She said I can't stay in the same house because I can't see her before the wedding."  
  
"Everyone knows you can't." She stated.  
  
Katie and Peg both nodded. "She's right, Hawk. You can't."  
  
"Yeah, well at least I'll get some sleep tonight. In a real bed."  
  
"You do look like hell." BJ said. "Maybe you should go now."  
  
"I can wait." He didn't want to be without Margaret. It was still early.  
  
Margaret looked over her shoulder and smiled warmly at him. She could see how tired he was, he would have fallen asleep in the chair if he could. The only sleep he was going to get tonight, if any, would be from exhaustion. Maybe it was a good idea they were leaving right after the wedding, they could both do with a little sleep before they got there.  
  
"Nervous Hawk?"  
  
Hawkeye shook his head calmly, "Not at all."  
  
Margaret moved so she was sitting between his legs on the floor. She brought her hand up and put it on his knee. "Should he be?"  
  
BJ smiled, "It's just hard to imagine Hawkeye Pierce married."  
  
"We're doing it for my father. He'd die if we started having children without a license," Hawkeye said.  
  
Everyone in the room chuckled. "He's just sick of sleeping on that couch," BJ told them.

"Damn right," Hawkeye grumbled.  
  
The room erupted with laughter again. When the laughter died down BJ said, "Seriously, what are we doing tonight?"  
  
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been designated to pick the Potters and the Klingers up from the airport," he said with little enthusiasm. It wasn't that he didn't want to see them, he was just too damn tired.  
  
"That reminds me," Margaret interrupted. "Don't let me forget to give you their flight numbers."  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
"Do you mind if I tag along Hawk?" BJ asked.  
  
"Not at all. I'll need someone there to take over in case I fall asleep at the wheel."

"I can drive if you want, but you have to stay wake to tell me where to go."  
  
"Are you kidding? I'm a better driver than you with my eyes clothes. I don't want you to flip my car like you did that jeep."  
  
BJ laughed. "That wasn't my fault."  
  
There was some noise heard from Janie. She was looking at her aunt crying. It startled Erin who was playing with her. "What happen?" She asked her own mother.  
  
Peg looked at Margaret. She was in a better position to see what Erin was doing. "Was she too rough with the baby?"  
  
"No," she shook her head. "Is she hungry?"  
  
"No," Katie said. "You were just playing with her, Maggie. She wants you."  
  
"Aww." Margaret reached over and picked up the baby. "You're such a sweetheart."  
  
Katie smiled. "Tell Aunt Maggie that you're a spoiled brat. Doesn't she remember?"  
  
Margaret sat the baby on her lap and played with her. Just as the baby had done in South Carolina, she relaxed her. Made everything else disappear for a few minutes. It would have stayed that way had people not insisted on turning the conversation to always center around her and Hawkeye. At first it was nice because it was nice to know people cared, but now they both had enough.  
  
"What time do you have to leave?"  
  
Hawkeye looked down at his fiancé. "Margaret. Margaret." She turned her head and looked up at him. "What time do I have to leave?"  
  
"Not for another hour."  
  
"Oh, okay."  
  
"Where did your father go?"  
  
Hawkeye guessed he left because he was sick of entertaining company. It wasn't his duty. "He's out back probably trimming the bushes."  
  
Margaret looked back at him. "You were supposed to do that."  
  
"I did. My father just goes back over it when I do. The only thing he doesn't do that to is lawn and that's only because it's so big."  
  
Margaret turned around and handed the baby to Hawkeye. She stood to her feet. "Excuse me. I'll be right back." She wanted to check on Dan.  
  
"I'll come with you," Katie stood up. "Are you okay with Janie?"  
  
"Yeah," Hawkeye nodded. After the two of them had gone he turned to BJ and Peg, "Was I speaking in a foreign tongue or something?" He knew where she was going.  
  
BJ laughed, "She's just worried about him."  
  
"She has nothing to be worried about, he's just doing it so he doesn't have to sit here and listen to us."  
  
"Well you said that things weren't going so well between her and her father right now. Maybe it's her way of getting some of that back."  
  
"I know it is," he told them. "It's a really sensitive subject." Janie started to laugh and Hawkeye held her up so he could look at her. "What's so funny?" Her only response was to laugh louder.  
  
"You're just a funny looking guy," BJ quipped. Peg laughed and so did Erin.  
  
"Watch what you say Hunnicutt," Hawkeye narrowed his eyes. "Best Men aren't hard to replace."  
  
BJ laughed. "I'd like to see you try."  
  
Margaret and Katie stopped in the kitchen before they made it outside. They hadn't had a moment together since Katie arrived. Katie and Hawkeye were the two people that could read Margaret the best, and even that wasn't often. "Maggie, have you talked to mom or dad?"  
  
"I sent them each an invitation and asked them to call me, but they didn't."  
  
"Neither one of them?"  
  
Margaret shook her head. "It's fine. Really."  
  
"You don't fool me for one second."  
  
"Well, there's nothing I can do about it. I really don't care," she lied.  
  
"Who's giving you away?"  
  
She had hoped her father would show up, she hadn't asked anyone else yet. "I would like to ask Colonel Potter tonight."  
  
"You think he'll do it?"  
  
She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. He's not like our father."  
  
Katie saw the tears hiding in the corners of her sister's eyes. "He'll come around."  
  
Margaret sighed. "I don't know. Let me go check on Dan."  
  
"Do you think I can use the phone to call Rick?"  
  
"Yeah, go right ahead. Hawkeye's fine with the baby. You can go into den for privacy if you want."  
  
"Thanks." Katie walked away to call her husband. Rick hadn't been able to get the time off with such sort notice. The two of them were working on their marriage still and Katie just wanted to call to tell him she loved him.  
  
Margaret poured a tall glass of iced tea and walked out the back door to check on Dan. He wasn't trimming the bushes or going over any of Hawkeye's work. He was sitting on the steps looking out into the ocean. Margaret walked up next to him and took a seat beside him. "Hey, honey. What are you doing out here?"  
  
"Checking on you." She handed him the glass.  
  
"Thank you. Why are you checking on me?"  
  
"Just making sure you're okay."  
  
"I haven't been this happy in a long time. You've made my son a very happy man."  
  
She smiled. "I don't know about you, but Hawk and I can't wait until all this is over."  
  
"If I know him he just wants the two of you to be out of here and be in the same bed."  
  
Margaret chuckled. "I'm sure that has something to do with it, but that's not the only reason. We're ready to be married. I can't wait until we can move in to our house. Things have been so stressful lately."  
  
"But how many times do you get married?"  
  
"This is my last time," she vowed.  
  
"I know it'll be, you two look very happy together."  
  
Margaret smiled warmly, "We really are."  
  
"Come on," he stood up and held his hand out to her. "Hawk's probably drowning in there all by himself."  
  
Margaret accepted his hand and together they walked back into the house.  
  
The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was everything that Margaret had hoped it would be and so much more. Her parents weren't there, and yet she couldn't remember a time when she had been so happy. Colonel Potter gave her away in place of her father, something which in turn she didn't regret at all. Katie and Hawkeye were her family now, she didn't need any more then that.  
  
Hawkeye had looked so handsome as he stood there. His tuxedo fit wonderfully, his hair was combed in that precise way that accented his eyes. The entire time the Priest was talking he was watching her intensely, his eyes fixated on her own. She couldn't help but cry when he slipped the ring onto her finger and they exchanged vows. When it was over he pulled her close and kissed her lovingly.  
  
The reception was beautiful and everything went nicely. Every person there was happy for them and the whole event turned out to be well worth the stress. Hawkeye let Margaret out of his arms a few times that day because people were asking to dance with the bride. He didn't want to, but he had to. It ended up being worth it to be able to see her out on the dance floor smiling and laughing.  
  
That evening after they both changed and were ready to leave for the airport Dan had BJ drive them there. He stayed at the house with some of the guests that remained. All of them were leaving the next day. On the ride there BJ asked them about where they were going and made some small talk. He remembered the day he got married and the last thing on his mind was talking. He just wanted to get on with it and get to the destination to officially start the honeymoon. Hawkeye and Margaret were even worse than he was. It made him feel very awkward and he understood why Dan had asked him to do it.  
  
The plane ride was relaxing if nothing else. Hawkeye had lifted the arm rest that was between them so that they could be closer together. He pulled her to him and they both closed their eyes and fell asleep. Neither of them could have asked for a better day and it wasn't over yet. It would be late when they arrived on the island, but that didn't matter to them. As long as they got there.  
  
Hawkeye knew where the place was and told the cab driver the directions. Margaret sat back leaning against him and looked at as much as she could with it being so dark out. They seemed to go outside of town and she got a little curious. Then they turned down a long road that lead to a single house. It was the first time she was seeing a house that she now owned.  
  
Margaret's reaction was indescribable. It wasn't anything like she'd imagined it would be. From every room, large French doors opened up to expose the ocean from all sides. Margaret could tell that he never intended to bring anyone else there, it was the ideal place just for the two of them and nobody else. The living room was the first room she saw. There was no main door, it was all just meant to be left open. He had some older family photographs that she had never seen, the occasional knick knack from his childhood, and surprisingly enough the odd photo of her when she was a girl. Most of the furniture was an unvarnished wood, giving the small house a very island feel.  
  
The bedroom was just off the living room with not even a door connecting them. Nearly the entire room was open, giving her another wonderful view of the beach. The house wasn't right on the water, it was situated on a hill that rose above the taller trees and gave her a bird's eye look at the island. From there it was only a short walk down to a private stretch of beach.  
  
There was a large bed against the back wall that was cascaded with white silk sheets and a canopy from which a sheer netting could be let down. All the bedroom furniture was antique she assumed, it had the old, fragile look to it. Margaret turned and looked at her husband; he was standing in the doorway watching her.  
  
"What do you think, honey?"  
  
She smiled brightly. "It's gorgeous!"  
  
He nodded. "Freshly cleaned and fully stocked with food."  
  
"Food? How did you manage that one?"  
  
"I have my ways." He walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. "We're married."  
  
She looked into his eyes. "It feels wonderful."  
  
He nodded with a grin that seemed to be permanently pasted on his face since the cab driver pulled up to the house. "What do you want to do?" He knew what he was hoping for, but he didn't know if she wanted to look around a little more or maybe unpack.  
  
"It's our wedding night. What do you think I want to do?"  
  
"I knew there was a reason I loved you."  
  
"There better be more than one." Her hands moved to the back of his head and she pulled him down for a kiss. "You should show me the bedroom. I can't see it very well from here."  
  
Hawkeye smiled and scooped her up in his arms taking her off guard. "You may not see it very well tonight, but you'll get a good look at the ceiling." When they walked into the bedroom Hawkeye put her down on her feet. "Don't move." She watched him go to the dresser drawer and pull out a box of matches. He lit the white candles all around the room and then turned down the sheets on the bed. "This is better."  
  
"I love you so much." She started to kiss him again. He wanted this so badly, but he wanted her to feel wanted, not used. It had been a long time since they had been together, but he wanted this to be a night to remember. Margaret's hands moved to the buckle in his pants surprising him.  
  
"What happened to taking this slowly?" He grinned as he watched her hands. "I was hoping to undress you one piece at a time."  
  
"We just spent four hours on an airplane," she told him. "I'd like to spend our honeymoon doing more then undressing." Her hands moved around to push his pants down.  
  
After waiting for so long Hawkeye was genuinely anxious. "We'll have plenty of time for that, I promise."  
  
"I know, there isn't a TV in this whole place," she said. Then with a smile she added, "You're very good."  
  
Hawkeye kissed her deeply and then started working on the button on her pants. "Tell me that again in an hour or two."  
  
Margaret slowly undid his shirt buttons one by one. "If you do your job right then I won't be able to," she whispered in his ear.  
  
He unzipped her zipper, "I'm sure we can work something out."  
  
After she undid the last button she pushed the shirt off his broad shoulders and let it fall to the floor. She kissed his naked shoulder and wrapped her arms around his chest and shoulders. "I love you..." she breathed as she kissed his collarbone.  
  
Hawkeye pushed her pants off and hoisted her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he carried her over to the bed. The bed was raised high off the ground, so high that she might have needed a step stool to get up there. He set her down on the edge and stood motionless between her legs. They looked at one another in the dark. His hands moved to her waist and he pulled her shirt off over her head. Margaret ran a hand across his chest and down to his stomach. He nuzzled her lightly before moving to push her back.  
  
He started kissing her collar bone and slowly moved down across her chest and stomach. His hands moved her panties down and took them off tossing them to the pile of clothes. She was left in her bra now. He climbed up on the bed over top of her and started to kiss her. Her hands felt so good as they gently ran up and down his back. Occasionally she would let her nails scratch him a little sending chills up his spine. Her hands slipped down and tried to push his boxers off of him. She pushed him onto his back and pulled them off all the way and then climbed on top of him. Hawkeye's hands moved to the back of her bra to unhook it. The only thing they were wearing was their wedding bands.  
  
They made love for the first time as a married couple. The week they spent on the island was the most relaxing week either of them had ever experienced. They barely left the house and when they did it was just to go down to the beach where they were still alone. They didn't have any little spats that week and for the first time it was just the two of them that existed in the world.  
  
Hawkeye was very attentive to her every need and want. She made it pretty easy by telling him that all she needed was him. Despite that he ordered her flowers everyday and even made breakfast in bed for the two of them a few times. Margaret was the same way to him. She didn't send him flowers, but she took care of him. She made most of the meals for the first time in their relationship. It was everything that either of them had ever dreamt of. Nothing could have been better.


End file.
